Trump suggests Iran link in Flydubai flight attack, Netanyahu says ‘too early’

At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cautioned that it was too early to establish any such link.

The comments came a day after passengers and crew on Flight FZ1073 reportedly intervened when the co-pilot allegedly attempted to interfere with the aircraft's controls.

Trump says ‘answer’ appears to be yes

Asked whether he had been briefed about a possible connection between the co-pilot and Iran, Trump said US officials were investigating.

“We're working on that right now. We'll be very open with it,” Trump said. “I would say the answer based on what I'm hearing is yes, but we're working on it right now.”

When asked whether the co-pilot could have been placed on the aircraft by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), or radicalised before attempting to bring down the plane, Trump replied: “Could have been, yeah.”

Netanyahu urges caution

Netanyahu struck a more cautious note when asked about the possibility of an Iranian connection in an interview with Fox News.

“I think it's too early to say whether he had any connections with Iran or with anyone else,” Netanyahu said.

The Israeli prime minister added that authorities expected to know more within days about whether the co-pilot had any external links.

Netanyahu says co-pilot was radicalised

While stopping short of linking the incident to Iran, Netanyahu said the co-pilot had undergone what he described as Islamist radicalisation.

“We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination,” Netanyahu said, adding that investigators were gathering information from the man's personal records.

Passengers overpowered co-pilot

The Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv descended into chaos on Wednesday after the co-pilot allegedly attempted to interfere with the aircraft's instruments.

Passengers and the captain reportedly managed to overpower him and prevent the aircraft from being brought down. A reserve crew member subsequently landed the plane in Saudi Arabia.

Among those who intervened were passengers, including a plumber, who helped restrain the co-pilot during the incident.

Pilot attacked during incident

Passengers and officials have said the captain was stabbed during the confrontation. Investigators have not publicly disclosed details of the weapon allegedly used.

Netanyahu said the pilot was either stabbed or struck with an axe, though the precise circumstances remain under investigation.

Authorities have yet to establish publicly whether the incident was linked to Iran or whether the alleged actions were motivated solely by the co-pilot's reported radicalisation.