Trump hints Iran's IRGC 'could have been' behind flydubai cockpit attack
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "could have been" responsible for the bloody cockpit attack aboard FlyDubai flight 1073, as authorities continued to investigate the incident.
Asked by Fox News' Peter Doocy whether he had been briefed on a possible connection between Iran and the Omani co-pilot accused of stabbing the pilot, Trump said, "We're working on it. Right now they're being very open with us. I would say the answer based on what I'm hearing is yes."Q: Has anybody briefed you on whether the FlyDubai pilot is linked to Iran?@POTUS: "I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is yes, but we're working on it right now." pic.twitter.com/9Snbp3wSNVβ Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 1, 2026
When asked whether the attacker could have been trained by the IRGC, Trump replied, "Could have been."
Trump also issued a warning to Tehran, saying Iran would be "hit very hard" if it was found to be behind the incident. "They know what happened," he said. Question: Are you going to retaliate against Iran if they are behind that attack on the plane?Trump: They'll be hit very hard. You just ask them. They know what happened. They'll be hit very hard.pic.twitter.com/tvZcgNYMW2β Open Source Intel (@Osint613) October 1, 2026
The comments came as investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the attack on the Dubai-to-Israel flight. Passengers reported an assault in the cockpit, after which the aircraft lost altitude before eventually landing in Saudi Arabia.
The aircraft reportedly plunged to 17,000 feet in about a minute. Passengers and crew members are said to have intervened to restrain the attacker and help stabilise the aircraft.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking to Fox & Friends on Thursday morning, said it was too early to determine whether the attacker had terrorist connections.
Netanyahu, however, said authorities would know more about the suspected links soon as the investigation continued.- Ends
