BREAKING: Saudi Arabia Hands flydubai Co-Pilot Over to UAE, Trump Warns Iran of ‘Hard Hit’ if Found Involved

BREAKING: Saudi Arabia Hands flydubai Co-Pilot Over to UAE, Trump Warns Iran of ‘Hard Hit’ if Found Involved

Saudi officials have transferred the co-pilot of a Dubai to Tel Aviv flight, who stabbed his Indian captain on board, to authorities as police probe the motive for the mid-flight attack.

The Boeing 737 aircraft was flying from Sohar to Dubai, a luxury resort in the United Arab Emirates, when it was attacked. The co-pilot, who was identified as a citizen of Oman, stabbed the captain, Smit Machchhar, on a flight on Wednesday morning.

Two flydubai pilots in the plane, which was carrying more than 170 passengers and crew members, landed the aircraft in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

PM Narendra Modi Has spoken to Captain Smit Machchhar over flydubai flight incident, authorities say. And during the phone call, Machchhar told him what gave him courage during the mid-air attack.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is “deeply disturbed” by the serious incident and he “welcomes the fact that tragedy was averted”, the spokesman said.

Any action that endangers the lives of civilians or civil aviation must be firmly condemned, it said, and the UN chief thanked the authorities for taking all necessary measures to secure the safety of all passengers and to carry out the investigation.

“We will keep an eye on everything for this report,” it said.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump warned as, “A very hard deal with Iran if it was connected to the copilot who attempted to bring down the Israel-bound flight.”

“I think we’re trying to figure that out,” the president told reporters when asked at the White House if he was told about any connection between the pilot responsible for the attack and Iran. “We’re working on it right now.”

“I would say yes – judging from what I am hearing, but we’re in the process right now – but I can’t say for sure if I think it is Iran or not,” he said.

Whereas, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said the co-pilot has been put through “Islamist radical indoctrination”.

“We are aware that he was recruited by the Islamists” for this type of radicalization, he told a news channel on condition that he not be identified, adding that the co-pilot was under questioning.

He said “the attacker, he calls out to the aircrew, ‘Kill me, kill me'”, to indicate “he was suicidal”.