Trump claims Iran link to Fly Dubai attack; Israel says no proof

An Israeli official close to the investigation into the attempted Fly Dubai terror attack said Tuesday evening that Israel's assessment remains unchanged: the Omani pilot acted as a lone wolf, with no indications of Iranian involvement. The official spoke to i24NEWS correspondent Guy Ezriel in response to statements by US President Donald Trump, who repeated his claim that Iran is connected to the attack attempt.

"There is no change in our assessment that he acted as a lone wolf," the source said when asked about Trump's declarations. "I think Iran is connected to the attempted attack," Trump told reporters, despite the fact that investigators have not established any link between the Omani pilot and the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile, Vice President J.D. Vance also stated that there is no clear evidence of an Iranian connection, contradicting the president's own claims.

The Israeli investigative team is still in the United Arab Emirates, including Shin Bet personnel experienced in interrogating terrorists, according to the i24NEWS report. More details continue to emerge about the background of pilot Muammar al-Hamami, who admitted during interrogation that he acted in response to events in the Gaza Strip.

According to investigators, the pilot said he sought revenge for the war in Gaza and wanted to die during the operation. "I did it as revenge for Gaza, I wanted to die as a shahid," he said in interrogation, as revealed by Channel 12 News. It was also disclosed that the pilot had planned to crash into an American base in Jordan if he failed to reach Ben Gurion Airport.

The United Arab Emirates intends to seek the maximum penalty against the pilot, which in that country can include the death penalty. The UAE's attorney general announced Shabbos that the pilot is suspected of attempting to carry out a terror attack, after he assaulted the captain with an emergency axe and tried to seize control of the aircraft's flight systems.

Right: Fly Dubai flight returns to Israel; left: pilot Muammar al-Hamami (Photo: Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Last week, a dramatic incident unfolded on a Fly Dubai flight from Dubai to Israel, when co-pilot Muammar al-Hamami attacked the captain with an emergency axe and attempted to take control of the flight systems in order to crash the plane at Ben Gurion Airport. Four Israeli passengers, Yaniv Hayon, Dr. Shota Musayev, Zvika Manes and Asaf Rejwan, stormed the cockpit and overpowered the terrorist, saving the lives of all aboard.

Trump also revealed Tuesday that a specific Iranian-related threat led to the rapid evacuation of B-2 bombers from Britain. According to a New York Times report, the evacuation was carried out with unusual speed over the weekend. The urgency was so great that some of the bombers and air crews took off for the United States while aerial refueling tankers summoned to assist them were still in the process of preparing.