Kenya - Al-Qaeda 'shot down' plane

SAPA ^

[HAL9000]

Dubai - An Islamic website on Sunday carried a statement attributed to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network claiming responsibility for a plane crash in Kenya that left 12 Americans and two South Africans dead.

The statement, the authenticity of which could not be verified, said the plane was hit "head on" with a ground-to-air SAM-7 missile.

It was apparently fired by followers of Mohammed Atef, the Egyptian national suspected of being Bin Laden's number two.

The statement said three CIA agents were on board the plane searching for Mujahedeen positions on the Kenyan border.

It also promised the Iraqi people the "arrival, very soon, of a present from Osama bin Laden to (US President George W) Bush and his band".

Kenyan officials said the light aircraft crashed into Mount Kenya amid thick clouds on July 19, and that the 12 Americans killed in the crash were members of the same extended family, including two grandparents.

[HAL9000]

I remember that crash. The passengers were a family from Georgia, and certainly not with the CIA.

[cmsgop]

Bump!

[tortoise]

The statement, the authenticity of which could not be verified, said the plane was hit "head on" with a ground-to-air SAM-7 missile.

I call bullshit. The Russian SA-7 (which is what I assume they are referring to) is a tail aspect only seeker, and even then it needs a pretty hot turbine to have a decent chance of getting lock. It won't lock at all from a head-on aspect, so unless it was an unguided launch that just happen to hit the plane, I find the story suspect.

[Congressman Billybob]

The sources for this story are apparently too dumb to know that missiles fired at planes from the ground do not "hit the planes head on." Instead, they hit them from behind, and if heat-seeking, they hit the engines.

Many of the stories from cr*ppy sources contain stupid references in their text which raise questions about their honesty, as here. I remember when this crash happened, and how much sorrow I felt for the family. The survivors and friends do not need the agony of a false claim that they were murdered by subhumans.

Congressman Billybob

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[HAL9000]

I forgot to put the publication date of this article - 27/07/2003 - but it shows up in Google News search as a recent article.

[bondjamesbond]

Mount Kenya is in the center of the country. Nowhere near any border.

Beautiful country, though...