Posted on 08/26/2004 5:18:44 PM PDT by blam
Kremlin crash cover-up claim
By Julius Strauss in Moscow
(Filed: 27/08/2004)
The Kremlin faced growing accusations of a cover-up yesterday as Russian officials announced that the black boxes of two crashed passenger jets had failed to yield evidence of a terrorist attack.
The two aircraft blew up and crashed within minutes of each other after take-off on Tuesday night, killing all 89 crew and passengers.
An emergency crew inspects the crashed Tu-154
Russia's free media speculated that the security services were deliberately playing down suspicions of terrorism in an attempt to spare the Kremlin the embarrassment of admitting to serious lapses in security.
Despite earlier statements that suggested the black boxes were in good condition, officials said yesterday that they were damaged and would require lengthy analysis that may not yield results.
The FSB, the Russian security service, said on Wednesday - when the investigation was only a few hours old - that there was no evidence of terrorism. Critics say the announcement was hasty and politically motivated.
An explosives expert working at one of the crash sites was quoted in the liberal daily Kommersant as saying: "Our guys had not even got down to work when they heard on the radio that no evidence of a terrorist act had been found."
State-run television officials are reported to have told colleagues that instructions had been relayed from above that the word terrorism was to be avoided in broadcasts.
However, most independent experts concluded that a terrorist attack was the only feasible explanation for the crashes.
The leading theory put forward by explosives experts was that a member of ground staff attached timed bombs to the tail sections of the aircraft, possibly by magnets, shortly before take-off from Domodedovo airport, Moscow.
Another possibility was that baggage containing explosive devices was loaded on to the planes by ground staff.
Several daily newspapers quoted FSB sources as saying they were now working on the assumption that terrorists were responsible, despite the vague official statements.
An FSB source told Russki Courier: "Our main task now is not to find out who did it but how explosives could have got on board."
Chechen separatist rebels have long vowed to disrupt an election due to be held this Sunday to replace President Akhmad Kadyrov, the pro-Moscow leader assassinated in May.
According to Kommersant, sources in the FSB said playing down the possibility of terrorism "was just a game of words" and the Kremlin would come clean after the election.
Two points --
(1) How Clintonian to say "... no evidence of a terrorist act had been found." Of course not yet.
(2) Major sections of the aircraft fell to the ground largely intact. If the fragile fuselage and wing skin is intact, I''l be the FDRs were just fine.
I betcha we'll hear more from the Russian gov. after the election on Sunday.
BTTT
Maybe their president learned something from Clinton and flight 800.
ahh, the old coochie bomb....
what they were worried about on those Air France flights to LAX over the holidays...and examining certain passengers upon landing...
into the stirrups...how do you say that in French?
The Kursk, sank to the ocean floor, taking with it over 100 sailors. The Russians tried to cover this up too.
What's that?
Wow. Dualov TWA800polova?
LOL. On an aluminum airplane?
Aw jeez. Tupelovs are not 7E7s....but surely they aren't made from boilerplate steel!
Ha! You beat me by seconds! Great minds are terrible things!
Putin will step to the mike when he is ready. He lets the press and opposition play their games, then makes idiots of them.
Putin is a wise man. He doesn't want public sentiment to dictate his actions or force his hand. Before its all over, his military will pay the terrorists a visit.
women stuffing plastique in their orafices....lighting the fuse in the lavaratory...
that was what all the Air France and British Airways flight cancellations were about last Dec...
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