Trump: Iran Hit Hard if Behind Stabbing10/02 06:12

   U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that if Iran is linked to the 
copilot who tried to crash an Israel-bound flight, the Islamic Republic would 
be struck "very hard" for the attempt on the lives of more than 180 people 
aboard the jet.

   JERUSALEM (AP) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that if Iran is 
linked to the copilot who tried to crash an Israel-bound flight, the Islamic 
Republic would be struck "very hard" for the attempt on the lives of more than 
180 people aboard the jet.

   Trump issued the warning as investigators worked to determine why the 
copilot stabbed the flight's captain, causing the FlyDubai plane to plummet 
before others on board stopped the attack and landed the airliner in Saudi 
Arabia.

   The president was asked by reporters at the White House whether he had been 
briefed about any links between the pilot behind the attack and Tehran. He 
said, "We're working on it right now."

   "I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is yes, but we're 
working on it right now," Trump said. He did not elaborate about why he 
suspects Iran might be involved.

   Asked if the U.S. would retaliate against Tehran if it was 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."

   His remarks came as diplomatic efforts to end the war appear to have stalled.

   Iranian officials indicated Wednesday that they received an official U.S. 
response to Tehran's latest proposal to end the seven-month war, which Trump 
had publicly rejected just days earlier. The officials did not say what the 
response contained and whether it was a rejection.

   Trump said in a Time magazine interview published Thursday that he will not 
accept proposals from Iran that "he wouldn't have approved a year ago," and 
left open the possibility of resuming bombing after the Nov. 3 election in the 
U.S.

   Meanwhile, the American military has dispatched roughly 9,000 troops aboard 
a group of ships to the Middle East, a U.S. official said Thursday. That could 
mean three carriers will be in the region as soon as late October, according to 
the official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to 
discuss sensitive military operations.

   Despite Trump's public rebuff, mediators have continued working with Iran 
and the U.S. to try to broker a deal to end the fighting and open the Strait of 
Hormuz, according to officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and 
spoke on condition of anonymity.

   Passengers got into cockpit to take control of jet 

   Passengers on the plane -- which was carrying 182 people, mostly Israelis, 
from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv -- have described how the bloodied 
Indian captain managed to open the cockpit door to let them in before they 
grappled with the copilot and stabilized a descent so sharp that the plane's 
rudder was torn away.

   "We felt helpless, suspended in midair, and I didn't know who to turn to. 
But it was all instinct to survive," Asaf Rajuan, who was among those who 
intervened, said in a statement shared by Israel's presidency.

   A regional official briefed on the investigation said the suspect, an Omani 
citizen, was under arrest and confirmed that Saudi authorities were working 
with countries, including Israel, to try to determine a motive. He said the 
UAE, the United States and Oman also were involved. Saudi Arabia said the 
copilot had been handed over to the UAE.

   "All possible scenarios, from terrorism to mental disorders, are being 
looked into. Nothing is ruled out for now," said the official, speaking on 
condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing 
probe.

   Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, without giving details, claimed 
the attacker underwent Islamist indoctrination. Asked who helped radicalize 
him, the prime minister told Fox News channel's "Fox and Friends" he did not 
know.

   When asked by AP how the prime minister knew the copilot underwent 
indoctrination, Netanyahu's office said it would not comment.

   Netanyahu told Fox that the suspect apparently got through a loophole in 
Israeli aviation rules that normally bar pilots from flying to Israel if they 
are from countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, which 
Oman does not.

   The copilot has not been publicly identified. Video shot inside the plane by 
Dr. Shota Musayev, a dentist who treated the captain, shows the copilot on his 
knees, with his hands tied behind his back.

   Capt. Smit Machchhar, widely praised as one of the heroes of the flight, was 
recovering in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi, the Indian government said 
Thursday.

   It was not clear what the copilot used as a weapon.

   Israeli investigators will join the interrogation of the copilot 

   Israeli intelligence and security officials were in Saudi Arabia to help 
investigate the copilot, according to another regional official who spoke on 
condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

   Israel has requested that the copilot be sent to Israel for the 
investigation, though it was unclear if that request would be granted, the 
official said.

   Saudi Arabia does not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel, but the 
countries have long cooperated on security and intelligence matters through 
alternative channels.

   The UAE government said its own investigation team had begun looking into 
the attack and "whether it was linked to any terrorist purpose," noting that 
Emirati authorities have jurisdiction because the plane is registered there and 
UAE law applies to crimes committed on board.

   Asked if there is any indication of Iranian involvement, Netanyahu told Fox 
News it was "too early to say."

   Netanyahu earlier said he also spoke with the UAE's president, Sheikh 
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who agreed that Israel would join the 
interrogation of the suspect.

   On Wednesday, Trump told reporters at the White House that he and Netanyahu 
discussed the incident "at length" by phone. He said it seemed as though the 
copilot "was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job."

   Oman's government has not commented.

   Netanyahu had warned in recent days of heightened security threats, though 
he told CNN that Israel had received no specific warning. The country is a week 
away from the anniversary of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, 
which has triggered the war in Gaza, and weeks away from an election.

   The Israeli Foreign Ministry said most of the people aboard the flight were 
from Israel, along with others from India and the UAE. The U.S. State 
Department said four passengers had American citizenship.

   Someone in cockpit sent out discreet distress codes 

   Someone in the cockpit sent out two four-digit codes to discreetly signal 
distress while the plane flew erratically near the Jordanian border with Saudi 
Arabia, according to Flightradar24.com. The first code was "7700," the 
universal "squawk" signal for an emergency, then "7500," which indicates 
unlawful interference, including a possible hijacking.

   The codes are used by pilots when it's impossible or dangerous for them to 
speak over the radio.

   FlyDubai said Wednesday that the jet was secured by on-duty crew members 
"who diverted and landed the aircraft safely." A regional official said the 
crew members were pilots in training. The official spoke on condition of 
anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

   In the chaos that began about two and a half hours after takeoff, the Boeing 
737 Max 8 descended from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet (around 10,000 meters to 
5,100 meters) in about a minute, before making an erratic circle close to the 
Jordanian border and landing in Tabuk, according to Flightradar24.