Trump suggests Iran linked to flydubai attacker, after Netanyahu said it’s too soon to tell

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One as he leaves the White House, October 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One as he leaves the White House, October 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

US President Donald Trump suggests the flydubai pilot who tried to crash a plane full of Israelis may be linked to Iran.

Asked by reporters outside the White House whether the pilot is linked to Iran, Trump responds, “We’re working on it. They’re being very open with us. I would say the answer based on what I’m hearing is yes.”

A reporter then pushes him on whether the pilot was either planted by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps or radicalized some other way, and Trump gives a less definitive answer.

“Could have been, yeah,” he responds.

It’s unclear whether Trump has received intelligence or been briefed on the ongoing probe into the flydubai incident.

Yesterday, he suggested he was largely relying on information he received from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and wasn’t sure if it was accurate.

Netanyahu has told Fox News twice in the past day that it’s “too early” to know whether Iran was involved.

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