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Trump Claims Flydubai Pilot Connected to Iran Attack; British P.M. Burnham Floats Reversal of Brexit, 10 Years After Departing from the European Union. Aired 3-3:45a ET

Aired October 02, 2026 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[03:00:00]

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BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, wherever you are in the world. You are now in the "CNN Newsroom" with me, Ben Hunte in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with me.

Coming up, the U.S. President says Iran may be connected to an attack on a Flydubai pilot. We'll go to the region for a live report.

A warning from Russia's President, he will use all the weapons at his disposal to defend a Russian territory in the Baltic region.

And the U.K.'s Prime Minister says any decision on whether or not the U.K. rejoins the European Union is quite a way off. We'll speak to a British farmer who voted to remain and find out what things are like for him 10 years on.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Ben Hunte.

HUNTE: Welcome.

We begin with new video and new allegations about who could be behind Wednesday's violent incident on a Flydubai flight. U.S. President Donald Trump now says the co-pilot accused of attacking and injuring the pilot in mid-flight may be linked to Iran. He says that is based on, quote, "what he's hearing."

Meanwhile, CNN has obtained new video of passengers rushing into the cockpit to subdue the co-pilot. One crew member can be heard calling for a doctor, another man shouted, but they need a pilot. A reserve flight crew, which happened to be on board, then took over and landed the plane safely in Saudi Arabia.

One passenger described the ordeal to CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL SCHILICTER, PASSENGER ON FLYDUBAI FLIGHT: I was trying to think quickly what I can do, so I took three or four sets of earphones so they can tie up the terrorist's legs and hands before they find maybe something better to how to tie him, and the plane at that stage was going rapidly, was going down, and there were a lot of children behind me so I could hear the screaming of the children. The mothers were trying to calm them.

There were things flying from one side to the other, and the plane was really with the nose down going very fast, and at that stage, this few one minute or so, or two minutes, I was absolutely sure that this is the end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: CNN's Eleni Giokos is live in Dubai for us with the very latest. Good to see you, Eleni. So what is the latest? What more can you tell us?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning.

Look, the investigation is now underway, and the UAE has launched an investigation, and they say that they're going to be looking at whether this co-pilot was linked to any terrorist activity, if it was any prior planning or direction, and this is an important part of the story because we don't know the motive as yet, we don't know if there was a wider plan.

The Israelis are treating this as an attempted terror attack, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that it's very likely that the co-pilots, which Israel has revealed to be an Omani national, could have been radicalized. We don't have his identity just yet, but we know that the pilot that was attacked and we know was severely wounded is an Indian national.

His name is Smeet Mathur, and he is being revealed as a hero, and we're seeing new images emerging, which are all going to be pieced together as part of a wider investigation, where we now understand Israel is going to be very much part of that investigation. The preliminary investigation occurred in Saudi Arabia when the two pilots were taken in for treatment, and that was in conjunction with UAE security that assisted. We now know the two pilots are currently in Abu Dhabi, here in the UAE, receiving further medical treatment, and of course questioning is going to be vital.

The other part of the story is really going to hinge on what is revealed and discovered in the cockpit recording, the flight data. That's going to give a lot of information in conjunction with what passengers heard, and of course the crew are going to be very much part of linking the wider story together.

But major concerns around why and how this happened, who was behind it, President Trump says that they're now looking at whether there is an Iran link, but there is no public evidence as yet for the Iran link. You've got to remember, the region is on tenterhooks right now with the Iran war.

[03:05:02]

So there are a lot of issues that are playing out in the sidelines. We now know that Dubai -- Flydubai, has suspended all flights from the region, from here in the UAE, to Tel Aviv as part of a wider security issue. And we also know that Israel is now sending its own carrier to help passengers that wanted to get back into Israel.

HUNTE: Okay, CNN's Eleni Giokos with the very latest from Dubai, thank you so much.

Another man is now under arrest in connection to a suspected plot to target an airbase in England. A 27-year-old British-Iranian dual national was arrested in London on Thursday on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act at the Fairford base.

Another British national was questioned and police also searched two properties a day earlier. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there are strong indications of Iran's involvement. The base has been used by U.S. bombers to conduct strikes on Iran, but Tehran denies any role in the alleged plot.

The U.N. is urging Iran and the United States to keep lines of communication open as peace talks stall. A spokesperson for the organization also called the situation around the Strait of Hormuz quote, "extremely worrying." It comes as President Trump defends how long the war with Iran has lasted.

He says his initial four-to-six-week estimate did not account for the time it would take to ensure Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon. In a Time magazine interview, Trump blamed the press for shaping public expectations despite repeatedly stating that timeline himself.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned he'll use everything at his disposal to defend the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad if it comes under attack, including nuclear weapons. It comes after NATO drills nearby sparked concern in Moscow. Mr. Putin said he has no plans to attack any nations in Europe, but vowed to respond to any Western aggression as necessary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): If it comes to direct attack against the Russian Federation, in this case on Kaliningrad and possibly some other territories, of course the issue of using all weapons in our country's arsenal will inevitably and unavoidably emerge on the agenda.

This is unavoidable. Moscow's threats run far beyond traditional weapons and warfare.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: NATO and several European countries have accused Russia of conducting hybrid warfare against them. That is a blend of conventional combat with cyberattacks, sabotage and espionage in a bid to break their support for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials say a Russian drone hit a school in Kyiv. More than 100 children were in a shelter at the time of the attack and were unhurt. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for Russia to be held fully accountable. In the last hour,

I spoke to the head of the RAND Europe Deterrence Initiative, Paul van Hooft. He explained the importance and weakness of Kaliningrad and why it could be a potential flashpoint.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER VAN HOOFT, HEAD OF RAND EUROPE DETERRENCE INITIATIVE: Kaliningrad is a unique case and my team and I do write about it in our work because Kaliningrad is both a tremendous strategic asset, a strategic boon to Russia and also a tremendous vulnerability. It is surrounded, on the one hand, it's surrounded by NATO, so therefore from the Russian perspective it is hard to defend and easy to close off.

On the other hand, it gives Russia tremendous ability to threaten large parts of northern Europe and particularly in case of potential escalation in the Baltics, to impede NATO reinforcements, to threaten other targets across Europe. So if conflicts between NATO and Russia would escalate for both sides, for both NATO and Russia, it would be a priority to use Kaliningrad or to neutralize it as quick as possible. So that does make it, I think, a very serious potential flashpoint if the situation escalates further.

HUNTE: Can you just break down a bit more for us, considering NATO says it has no plans to blockade the exclave, why is Moscow making this threat now?

VAN HOOFT: Well, again, it is sort of hard to read the minds of the top leaders at the Kremlin. Now, are they looking for an excuse? Are they looking for reasons to have, to be able to further escalate or to make further threats or to reinforce Kaliningrad or to justify the use of other means, the hybrid actions that have already been spoken of, or further drone attacks or, you know, accidental incursions?

[03:10:05]

So it can be both those things. I think we should generally treat this as a threat that is intended to justify invoking the nuclear shadow again, which is part of Russia's broader shaping strategy, right, to constantly remind us that things could get incredibly bad.

So, therefore, to dissuade us from continuing to support Ukraine or ramping up our support for Ukraine, at the same time, I will take seriously that from the Russian perspective it is, yes, a tremendous outlying vulnerability. I do think, like I said, that this is primarily intended to give us another sort of pressure point, another sort of way to keep that nuclear threat from Russia in the back of our minds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: There is much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom," including a Tennessee inmate's survival of an execution attempt is renewing scrutiny of the death penalty. That story ahead.

Plus French student protests escalate into urban violence as the government announces deeply unpopular cuts. See you in a moment.

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[03:15:00]

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HUNTE: Welcome back.

Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike remains in critical condition and is receiving life-saving medical care after surviving an execution attempt. And there are many questions about what went wrong. Pike survived two lethal doses of pentobarbital Wednesday night.

Witnesses say she showed signs of life over an hour after the execution began. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has suspended executions pending an investigation. Pike's lawyer is urging the governor to commute Pike's sentence.

New details are emerging into allegations of sexual assault at Cornell University. The "New York Times" reports the alleged victim told her roommates about the incident right after it happened, and she struggled with it for days.

The contents of that report were confirmed to CNN by Jane Doe's attorney. Separately, the Times reports this morning that the men involved in the incident denied any wrongdoing, with one telling investigators that he was also a victim of sexual misconduct. The Times says four of the men acknowledged having sexual contact with the woman, but they said that their interactions were consensual, the others denied participating in sexual encounters.

Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul says she's appointing State Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the investigation. Hochul says she's lost faith in the ability of the Tompkins County District Attorney to fairly oversee the case.

In Spain, thousands of demonstrators are camped out on Madrid's main square and across other cities too, demanding government action on the housing crisis. The demonstrations were fueled by last week's dramatic eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her home of more than seven decades.

Earlier this week, the government passed two royal decrees aimed at tackling the housing crisis, including a ban on evictions of vulnerable tenants and measures to prevent abusive rent hikes. Parliament is expected to vote on the proposals today.

Student protests over school conditions in France are escalating. The Interior Ministry says thousands of students have been detained since protests broke out last month, including nearly 2000 on Thursday alone. Saskya Vandoorne has more for us.

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SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF: High school protests are intensifying here in France. I'm in Aubervilliers, just outside Paris, where students have been blockading their high school for over a week now, protesting conditions inside.

Just moments ago, protesters were setting bins on fire, throwing bottles at the riot police and, in response, the riot police tear- gassed the protesters.

The protests began last week and have since spread across the country, and now university students are joining the movement. In Nantes, part of a high school was set on fire on Thursday, and in Lille, riot police used tear gas and charged students gathered behind barricades.

VANDOORNE: The students say their classrooms are overcrowded, that they don't have enough teachers, and some say their schools are literally falling apart.

ALI BEN SAID, STUDENT (through translator): We're 30 in a class, we're overloaded. We cannot concentrate. And then the A.C., when it's hot, there's no air conditioning.

And when it's cold, there's no heating.

VANDOORNE: Some blockades have been peaceful, while others have descended into clashes with police. On Wednesday alone, over 600 people were detained, according to the Interior Ministry.

Some blame heavy-handed policing for fueling the protests, while others point to members of France's far-left LFE party turning up at some of the demonstrations. LFE rejects that, saying its politicians are there to support the students' demands.

French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the violence.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): High schools are there to be open and to educate. They're not there to be blockaded or for bins to be burned.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: France's Interior Minister said security forces have intervened in cases of disorder, violence or property damage, while stressing that most protesters are high school students and minors, which police do take into account. New instructions were also issued to law enforcement agencies to reinforce the government's policing approach.

[03:20:04]

There is much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom," including comments from the British Prime Minister revive a divisive political debate. Ahead, why Andy Burnham believes all options should stay on the table when it comes to the European Union. See you in a moment.

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[03:25:00]

HUNTE: Welcome back, I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

U.S. President Donald Trump is suggesting a possible Iranian connection in Wednesday's incident on a Flydubai flight, he says the co-pilot, who is accused of attacking and injuring the pilot in mid- flight, could be linked to Tehran. But Mr. Trump didn't offer any specifics. He said his claim is based on, quote, what he's hearing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warns he will use all weapons available to defend the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, including nuclear weapons. Mr. Putin says he has no plans to attack any nations in Europe, but vowed to respond to any Western aggression as necessary. His comments come after NATO drills near the exclave, which is sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania.

Thousands of people have been detained as France's student protests against poor conditions and a lack of funding turned violent. The French cabinet held an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the crisis. Police dealt with an estimated 900 different demonstrations and blockades all across the country.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham this week floated the idea of the U.K. rejoining the European Union. In his speech at the Labor Party conference on Tuesday, he said the country should weigh all options for, quote, "Britain's long-term relationship with our European partners."

Mr. Burnham said later in a BBC interview the options could include full bloc membership, rejoining a single market or a customs market. In another interview, the Prime Minister stressed that any decision on a future vote remains a distant prospect.

Joining me now from Surrey, England, Simon Maiklem is a farmer and Angus cattle producer. It's good to see you, sir.

The Prime Minister has now opened the door to Britain potentially rejoining the E.U., right? What was your reaction when you first heard that news?

SIMON MAIKLEM, FARMER AND ANGUS CATTLE PRODUCER: I smiled, basically, and thought this isn't going to happen for a very long time, if it does ever. I think, basically, that boat may well have sailed now. The country voted out.

Like it or not, we live in a democracy. It would be so complicated to come back in full term to Europe. I can see that, in the end, we could align more closely with Europe, because they're our neighbors, and it's one of the biggest trading blocs in the world.

HUNTE: You did vote to remain, so ten years on from that, do you still feel that that was the right decision, and tell me why?

MAIKLEM: At the time, yes, I felt it was the right decision, and probably my thoughts now are that support for farming and agriculture in Europe is far stronger than it is within the U.K., and a strong agricultural industry leads to food security, which we seem to be lacking now, and why would we want to vote out of being part of one of the biggest trading blocs in the world?

I will admit that Europe had perhaps got out of hand as regards to red tape and paperwork, but I'm sure you had to be in the club in order to change it, rather than leave it, and I don't think we're any further forward than we were when we left.

HUNTE: From a farmer's perspective, what has Brexit actually meant for your business over the past few years? Give me some details.

MAIKLEM: When we were within the European community, we're pedigree Aberdeen Angus breeders, we exported a lot of cattle to Europe for breeding, not for beef, for breeding as in high pedigree, high health. As soon as we came out of Europe, we lost that market. Gradually, since we've been out of Europe, farming support has been decreased and decreased to the stage now where there's virtually no support for agriculture within the U.K.

HUNTE: The U.K. is already seeking a closer alignment with the E.U. on food standards. Would that make a big difference to farmers like you?

MAIKLEM: If it was a level playing field, yes, but if it's not, and we're disadvantaged, it probably wouldn't be a good thing, would it? We'd be basically trying to push water uphill again.

HUNTE: You have said that market has now been taken up by farmers in Ireland who are still inside the E.U., obviously. Do you feel that British farmers have effectively lost business to their European competitors?

MAIKLEM: I think we've lost our markets, yes. We've lost the markets, definitely. We're now having to trade further abroad.

We've got trade deals coming with Australia and New Zealand, Canada, possibly the States. You can never quite tell what's going to happen there. But, yes, we've lost the ability to trade next door, in effect, to a certain extent.

[03:30:10]

HUNTE: But closer alignment also means following more potential E.U. rules. What would farmers potentially be giving up in return for that?

MAIKLEM: To a certain extent, we follow most of the rules anyway. We're gradually becoming further and further away from Europe as regards to some products, mainly for crop protection.

In order to be aligned with Europe, we would have to adopt the same rules as Europe do. I personally don't see us ever rejoining the European community unless, well, it's not within this government's manifesto, so it won't be until at least after the next election, and then I would imagine we would have to have another vote. So, I think perhaps our Prime Minister threw it out there just to see what the reaction would be.

HUNTE: Looking at where Britain is now, ten years after the Brexit vote, what would you want politicians to understand about the impact of those decisions on farmers?

MAIKLEM: The original idea of the European community was to protect food production and to give us food security. We are now losing that within the U.K. Farming within the U.K. is now increasingly becoming harder and harder. We've pretty much lost the agricultural support.

There are environmental things we can do, but actual food support is gone. And the design for that was originally to keep the price of food down and to give us food security.

Food security and national security are linked together, and we seem to be losing that.

HUNTE: Okay. Simon Maiklem, joining us from Surrey, England. Thank you so much for your time, sir, I appreciate it.

MAIKLEM: No problem, Ben.

HUNTE: Of course, there is so much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom," including --

Europe's heatwaves are over, but some of their effects have yet to be felt. How the extreme weather could impact your French fries. See you in a moment.

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[03:35:00]

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HUNTE: Welcome back. Here are your business headlines.

The U.S. bond market has blown through another record. The yield on the 10-year benchmark note has hit its highest level since a dot-com bust in the early 2000s. A weak bond market means higher borrowing costs, especially for mortgages, the average for a 30-year fixed-rate home loan is up to 7.28 percent.

The company behind President Trump's meme coin is promoting another contest. Investors can win an invitation to what's being billed as the most exclusive dinner in the world at Trump's private club in Washington. Four 18-carat gold Trump-branded watches are also up for grabs, critics say this is just the latest example of Trump and his family profiting off the presidency.

The world's tallest wind turbine is about to go online in eastern Germany. Developers unveiled the structure on Thursday; it stands at 365 meters, or nearly 1200 feet tall, and is reportedly Germany's second-tallest structure. The company behind it says the turbine can generate more than twice the energy of the same model at lower heights.

Europe may have a potato problem after this summer's dry conditions and heat waves. Anna Stewart visited a chip shop in London to find out what that means for the future of French fries. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's lunchtime at The Fryer's Delight. And the fryers are delightfully busy.

STEWART: It's really heavy, it's a lot of potatoes. Yes, all right. That was my job done, whoa.

JOE MAGALHAES, MANAGER, FRYERS DELIGHT: Well, that's kind of simple. That's the kind of cooking I could do.

STEWART (voice-over): The business isn't so simple. Joe's been running this chippy for 36 years, and not for the first time, he's feeling under pressure with costs rising.

MAGALHAES: It was the price of fish, the price of oil --

STEWART: Price of the oil, price of the fish --

MAGALHAES: And the potato as well.

STEWART: -- and the potatoes.

STEWART (voice-over): Potatoes will likely get even more expensive.

CRAIG ELLIOTT, MARKET ANALYST, EXPANA: Last year we had a market that was characterized by pretty heavy oversupply.

STEWART: So too many potatoes last year.

ELIOTT: Too many potatoes last year, which weighed heavily on prices heading into this year, growers reduced their acreage. And then we had a series of heat waves, which has possibly resulted in a pretty massive crop loss.

STEWART: So this is an average potato that I got from downstairs.

ELLIOTT: Yes.

STEWART: Are we less likely to see that as being the normal size?

ELLIOTT: Market sentiment is that we're going to have smaller product this year, yes.

STEWART: Because this makes a beautiful big chip.

ELLIOTT: Sure does. Yes.

STEWART (voice-over): Three and a half million metric tons of potatoes could be lost this year across Europe and the U.K., according to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit.

[03:40:00]

Joe gets through six sacks of potatoes on a busy day, around 150 kilograms, and they all need to be washed, peeled -- STEWART: Well, look at that.

STEWART (voice-over): -- and chopped.

STEWART: How are you going to feel if the potatoes are getting smaller? How do you feel if your chips are short? You might end up with little tiny chips.

MAGALHAES: Most fish and chips use fish and chips. Small chips, anyway. I like these ones because when you eat them, you can feel the potato. It's crisp outside and soft inside.

But if you have no alternative, what can you do?

STEWART (voice-over): For now, this hardworking chippy is absorbing increased costs. But the spud squeeze is to come, as this year's harvest comes to an end.

STEWART: The chips aren't just down, they could be getting pricier and on the short side.

STEWART (voice-over): Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: SpaceX made history with its latest mission to the International Space Station. The Crew Dragon space capsule launched on Thursday from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

It carried a Russian cosmonaut, a Canadian astronaut, and two U.S. astronauts. Including Jessica Watkins. She's the first black woman to lead a space mission. The capsule also set a record for fastest time from launch to docking, reaching the ISS in just eight hours.

European scientists have high flying hopes for their own version of a Mars rover. The prototype, known as Charlie, is being tested in a desert in Spain.

The goal, of course, is to test technologies and operations relevant to the ESA's Mars mission. That will include the navigation system, as well as some tasks that the rover will perform after landing on Mars in 2030. The purpose, to search for evidence of past or present life.

The Kilauea volcano is once again erupting on Hawaii's big land. Lava flowed from the crater on Thursday.

Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes, with eruptions occurring since December of 2024.

And we have been reporting on it since then. That's all I've got for you, thanks for joining me and the team. I am Ben Hunte, in Atlanta.

"World Sport" is coming up next, then, of course, I will be back with you at the same time tomorrow with so much more news on "CNN Newsroom." See you then.

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