WASHINGTON, October 6. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump said he believes Iran was involved in the incident aboard a Flydubai flight.
"I do. I personally do," he told reporters at the White House, responding to a question about whether he believed Iran was involved in the incident aboard the airline’s flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance, responding to a similar question earlier that day, acknowledged that he had "not seen anything conclusive yet." He also said he would leave it to the US intelligence to announce its findings.
Trump also pointed out that Washington knew who was behind the threat that prompted the United States to withdraw all its B-1 strategic bombers from the UK’s RAF Fairford. "And we actually know the people that made the threat," the US president said. He declined to say whether Iran could have deployed drones to the UK to attack the bombers. "I can’t tell you that, but if they did, they’ll suffer greatly," Trump said. He concluded by saying that he generally considers Britain a safe place to station US forces.
On September 30, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing at the airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, following a security incident. On October 1, the Saudi Interior Ministry confirmed that the co-pilot had attacked the captain, leaving both injured. The ministry said that after their condition improved, the two pilots flew to Abu Dhabi under the escort of Emirati security personnel, while the other six crew members had previously returned safely to Dubai. UAE authorities are continuing to investigate the incident, including reviewing security measures.
On September 27, five London residents aged 23 to 25 were detained near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, western England. They were released on bail the following day, although they had initially been suspected of offenses under explosives and terrorism laws. Police later said they had found no explosives in their vans. On October 4, the Pentagon confirmed that all B-1 bombers stationed at RAF Fairford had returned to the United States.