Trump says Iran will be hit ‘very hard’ if it is behind copilot who tried to crash flight to Israel
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who → say → Israel
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.
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Republic → say → 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.
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others → issue → 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.
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he → ask → attack
He said, “We’re working on it right now.”
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We → say → it
“I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes, but we’re working on it right now,” Trump said.
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Trump → say → it
He did not elaborate about why he suspects Iran might be involved.
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Iran → elaborate → ?
The officials did not say what the response contained and whether it was a rejection.
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it → say → what
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 US.
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he → say → US
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.
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who → mean → operations
Despite Trump’s public rebuff, mediators have continued working with Iran and the US 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.
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who → continue → anonymity
Passengers got into cockpit to take control of jet
“We felt helpless, suspended in midair, and I didn’t know who to turn to.
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I → get → who
But it was all instinct to survive,” Asaf Rajuan, who was among those who intervened, said in a statement shared by Israel’s presidency.
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who → survive → 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.
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authorities → brief → motive
He said the UAE, the United States and Oman also were involved.
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UAE → say → ?
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.
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government → praise → Dhabi
It was not clear what the copilot used as a weapon.
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copilot → use → 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.
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they → join → 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.
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official → request → investigation
Saudi Arabia does not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel, but the countries have long cooperated on security and intelligence matters through alternative channels.
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countries → have → 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.”
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it → say → News
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.
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Israel → say → suspect
On Wednesday, Trump told reporters at the White House that he and Netanyahu discussed the incident “at length” by phone.
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he → tell → phone
He said it seemed as though the copilot “was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job.”
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copilot → say → ?
Oman’s government has not commented.
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government → comment → ?
Netanyahu had warned in recent days of heightened security threats, though he told CNN that Israel had received no specific warning.
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Israel → warn → 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.
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which → lead → election
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Report → start → news
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said most of the people aboard the flight were from Israel, along with others from India and the UAE.
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most → say → India
The US State Department said four passengers had American citizenship.
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passengers → say → 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.
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plane → send → Flightradar24.com
The first code was “7700,” the universal “squawk” signal for an emergency, then “7500,” which indicates unlawful interference, including a possible hijacking.
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which → indicate → hijacking
The codes are used by pilots when it’s impossible or dangerous for them to speak over the radio.
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them → use → radio
FlyDubai said Wednesday that the jet was secured by on-duty crew members “who diverted and landed the aircraft safely.”
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who → say → aircraft
A regional official said the crew members were pilots in training.
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members → say → training
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
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they → speak → 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 in about a minute, before making an erratic circle close to the Jordanian border and landing in Tabuk, according to Flightradar24.
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Max → begin → Flightradar24
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