US President Donald Trump has warned Iran of severe retaliation if investigators establish that Tehran was behind an apparent attempt by a co-pilot to crash a passenger plane en route to Israel.

Asked at the White House whether he had been briefed about possible links between the co-pilot and Iran, Trump said investigators were still looking into the matter.

“I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes, but we’re working on it right now,” Trump said, without explaining why he suspected Iranian involvement.

Asked whether the United States would retaliate if Iran was found to be behind the attack, Trump said, “Oh they’ll be hit, very hard, don’t worry.”
“You just ask them,” he added. “They know what happened. They’ll be hit very hard.”

Trump's comments came as diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the seven-month US-Iran war appeared to have stalled.

The incident occurred on Wednesday aboard flydubai flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv with more than 170 people on board. The co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain in an apparent attempt to bring down the aircraft while it was flying over Saudi Arabia.

The disaster was averted after the wounded captain managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overpower the attacker. A reserve crew member who was travelling on the flight then took control and landed the aircraft at Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the co-pilot, identified by Israel as an Omani national, had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination and appeared to be suicidal.
“We know that he underwent Islamist radical indoctrination. That appears to be something we are gathering from his personal information,” Netanyahu told Fox News.

“It looks very likely that he was going to down the plane,” Netanyahu said, adding that the alleged Islamist radicalisation found in the co-pilot's background was a possible indication of his motives.

However, Netanyahu stressed that no final conclusions had been reached.

Two Israeli security officials said Israel's initial assessment was that the co-pilot was likely acting alone, although the investigation was still underway.

The flight plunged more than 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds during the incident, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.

Investigations underway
The United Arab Emirates has launched an investigation to establish the circumstances and motives behind the incident and determine whether it was linked to terrorist activity, involved prior planning or was directed by others, the UAE state news agency reported.

Israel's envoy to the UAE, Yossi Shelley, told Reuters that it was too early to draw conclusions and that no motive had been established.

An Israeli official said Israel was not receiving all the information it had sought from Saudi authorities. Israeli intelligence agencies Mossad and Shin Bet are also investigating the incident.

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry, in its first comment on the incident, said the captain and co-pilot had both been treated in hospital for their injuries and left for Abu Dhabi on Thursday after receiving medical clearance.

Saudi Arabia said its security teams had conducted a preliminary investigation jointly with UAE officials. The initial findings indicated that the co-pilot assaulted the captain, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Tabuk.

With the co-pilot now in the UAE, Israeli officials said their investigators could join the UAE investigation to establish his motives and determine whether anyone else was involved.

Netanyahu identified the attacker as an Omani national. Omani authorities have not publicly commented on the incident.

(With inputs from Reuters, AP)