President Donald Trump said Thursday that the pilot accused of attacking the captain aboard a Flydubai flight to Israel had links to Iran, while acknowledging the matter remained under investigation. “I would say the answer, based on what I'm hearing, is yes, but we're working on it right now,” he said. Asked whether the US would retaliate if Iran was behind the attack, Trump replied: “They'll be hit very hard, don't worry.”

Earlier Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was too early to determine whether the co-pilot had connections to Iran and that authorities would be able to say within days. A senior Saudi official and a senior US official told NBC News that preliminary findings increasingly pointed to terrorism. The UAE's attorney general ordered investigators to examine whether the incident involved terrorist activity, prior planning or direction.

Flight FZ1073, carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot and additional pilots aboard took control. Israeli officials said the suspect stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar and attempted to crash the aircraft. Saudi authorities arrested the suspect, Netanyahu said. Passengers subsequently reached Israel on a replacement aircraft, and Flydubai suspended flights to and from Israel during the investigation.