Russian Air Disaster Was Suicide Attack, According to U.S. Sources

ABC News ^ | August 27, 2004

[Dog Gone]

Wreckage of a Tu-154 airliner is seen at a crash site near Gluboky in the Rostov region some 600 miles south of Moscow, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2004. (Sergei Venyavsky/AP Photo)	— Suicide bombers, in precision attacks, destroyed two Russian domestic airlines, which killed 90 people Tuesday, U.S. sources told ABC News.
Traces of explosives found in one of two downed Tupolev planes match explosives used in the 1999 bombing attacks of Moscow apartments by Chechen separatists, according to two U.S. government sources. These sources told ABC News that according to reports received by U.S. investigators in Moscow, suicide attacks are now being viewed as the most probable cause for the destruction of the planes. U.S. government sources confirm that investigators in Russia have a "very high degree of certainty" that "martyrs," or suicide bombers, were involved in the attack. The highly sophisticated explosive RDX — also known as cyclonite or hexogen — is a military explosive with very limited commerical use. In what Russian sources are calling "Russia's 9/11," Sibir Airlines' Tu-154 and Tu-134 jets went down within 20 minutes of each other after taking off from the same Moscow airport Tuesday night. Unidentified Chechen Women on Board Although Russia's Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, has been cautious about calling Tuesday's attacks the work of terrorists, Russian media reports have indicated otherwise. The ITAR-TASS news agency reported today that, according to air traffic controller sources, the Tu-154 signaled three times that it had been hijacked before it crashed. The Russian Strana.ru news service reported that there was at least one Chechen woman aboard each of the planes, and that no one has come to identify or claim their remains. Some of the remains of the Chechen woman on the Tu-154 were found in the plane's rear toilet, according to the report. Chechen female bombers — known as "black widows" in Russia — have recently begun participating in major militant operations in Russia.
Chechnya's 'black widows" first shot into the limelight during the deadly October 2002 Moscow theater siege and have been responsible for several attacks since, according to Russian officials. Tuesday's aviation disaster came days ahead of crucial Chechen presidential elections set for this weekend, and Russian security forces were on alert for terrorist attacks. Web ‘Statement’ Claims Responsibility The new findings follow a purported Web statement by an Islamist group taking responsibility for Tuesday's "operation." In the statement, a group called the Islambouli Brigades said it had five mujahedeen, or holy fighters, on board each aircraft. It warned this act would be followed by others "until the killings of our Muslim brothers in Chechnya cease." Russian security officials have refused to confirm or comment on the statement. Although it is not known if the Islambouli Brigades has any link to al Qaeda, a group with a similar name claimed responsibility for last month's attempt to assassinate a senior Pakistani official.

[jimbo123]

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/i_latestdetail.asp?id=22624

Russian officials also announced that they were investigating the backgrounds of two female passengers with Chechen names who booked tickets on both flights at the last minute and who were the only victims whose relatives have not contacted authorities.

Paul Duffy, a Moscow based aviation expert, told Associated Press Television that he found it "hard to believe" that five attackers were aboard each plane "but there is no doubt that they had one at least on each aircraft."

In the Russian media, suspicion focused on two women passengers, identified as Amanta Nagayeva and S. Dzhebirkhanova. Nagayeva, a Chechen native, bought her ticket one hour before the Tu-134 departed, Russia's NTV television reported. She was seated in the rear of the plane, near the tail which was found severed from the rest of the fuselage at the crash site. Search crews found fragments of her body on Friday, according to Russian news agencies.

The other passenger had originally been scheduled to fly to the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where Putin was vacationing, on a morning flight, but she changed her ticket at the last minute, according to the Gazeta.ru Web site.

Female suicide bombers with alleged Chechen connections have carried out attacks in Moscow, including last year's twin bombing of an outdoor rock concert and another blast outside a hotel adjacent to Red Square.

[TomGuy]

The spider is as big as a chair. I saw some like that just a few days ago when the Sci Fi channel had a whole day of spider stories. They were scary. They were talking over the world. We are all doomed! Doomed! Unless we can get John Goodman as the exterminator to eradicate them.

[Dog Gone]

Khalid al-Islambouli was the name of one of the assassins of Anwar Sadat.

I'm in awe that you knew that bit of historical trivia.

[TheLion]

"Not long ago there was the story about the Syrian musical group that did lots of suspicious things on a flight from Michigan(?) to someplace out west, including hanging out by the lavatories in groups."

There were many people dismissing this report then. I still think they should armor plate the lavs.

[eno_]

As I understand, this RDX can be disguised in something as small as a bar of soap. How can airport security stop this from being brought aboard a plane in someone's carry-on luggage?

Answer: There ain't no way. MAYBE with the kind of intensive training a baggage screener gets in Israel. Heck, until they stopped testing them, our fine TSA was missing 50% of guns in baggage that were not "artfully concealed, and 90%+ concealed guns and bombs.

Airport security is a show for the sheeple. It does not make us safer.

[TomGuy]

There was some speculation that the bus stop bombing that same day may have been a bomb(er) who couldn't get to his/her flight and so detonated at the bus stop.

[Remember on 9-11 there was specualtion of other teams that failed to attempt their hijackings. We still don't know what was actually in progress that day. The radicals wanted to hijack up to 10 planes that day. It would have been much, much worse than it was.]

[GBA]

So why not five? With five, the terrorists have many more options. For instance, let's say that one is discovered prior to the flight taking off. The authorities pat themselves on the back falsely believing that they've just prevented a bombing. But it still leaves four to carry out their "mission". Like Duffy said: "...there is no doubt that they had one at least on each aircraft."

[BadAndy]

"And why would FIVE operators be needed for a bomb? To carry in 5 times the amount of explosive one person can, of course."

I think you are correct. A redundancy factor of 5 seems excessive. Assembly in flight is consistant with the recent story about the suspicious group of Libyan "musicians" repeatedly entering a bathroom.

Logic would dictate body cavity searches or xrays of Muslims before boarding. Political correctness will have BCS of all females. That will cut down on airline traffic considerably.

[eno_]

They need to make the toilets bomb proof.

They need to make air travel moslem-free. They can all ride the hound until they catch up with civilization.

[gipper81]

Unfortunately Putins latent commie streak kicked in and poof, up in smoke. Some men are meant to be great, Putins not one of them.

That pretty much sums it up for me as well.

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

My guess is that 5 people on each plane, 4 made a distraction and then the 5th (assuming a shoe bomber) made her way to the bathroom and set off the explosive

[quantim]

[TomGuy]

Montreal man downed u.S. Plane, CSIS told

Posted by spyone On 08/27/2004 12:25:04 PM CDT · 15 replies · 424+ views National Post ^ | Aug. 27, 2004 | Stewart Bell Stewart Bell National Post A captured al-Qaeda operative has told Canadian intelligence investigators that a Montreal man who trained in Afghanistan alongside the 9/11 hijackers was responsible for the crash of an American Airlines flight in New York three years ago. Canadian Security Intelligence Service agents were told during five days of interviews with the source that Abderraouf Jdey, a Canadian citizen also known as Farouk the Tunisian, had downed the plane with explosives on Nov. 12, 2001. The source claimed Jdey had used his Canadian passport to board Flight 587 and "conducted a suicide mission" with a small bomb...

[jimbo123]

http://english.pravda.ru/accidents/21/96/382/13929_crash.html

TU-134 and TU-154 were exploded from their toilets
08/27/2004 20:59

The preliminary results of the investigation of the crash of TU-134 and TU-154 gave the grounds to say that acts of terrorism took place.
The pilots of both the planes gave SOS signals, the damages of both the planes were identical - their tails were torn in the air, and there were females whose relatives have no interest to their destiny, on both the planes...

The Gazeta obtained the details of the preliminary investigation results of the planes crash.

It was detected that shortly before the catastrophes, the pilots of both the planes pressed the alarm buttons. TU-154 which crashed in Rostov region, sent SOS signal, while Tu-134 which fell in Tula region, managed to put on the air the signal, "Attack on the plane".

[StoneFury]

Yeah, some cleric said Allah sent giant spiders to fight the US. Here's a gem from the WND article:

Continued Al-Sumide'i: "The first miracle that occurred... took the form of spiders that appeared in the city – each spider larger than this chair, or about the size of this chair... This spider also had thin black hair. If this hair touches the human body, within a short period of time the body becomes black or blue, and then there is an explosion in the blood cells in the human body - and the person dies."

[StoneFury]

Wow, looks like Stalingrad after the Russians got through with it.

[jimt]

Even that picture generates no sympathy for homicide bomber terrorists.

Terrorists are cowards. If Chechens attack Russian military targets they have at least some legitimacy. Cowardly terrorist scumbags who attack civilians have no legitimacy whatsoever.

[BadAndy]

"It was detected that shortly before the catastrophes, the pilots of both the planes pressed the alarm buttons. TU-154 which crashed in Rostov region, sent SOS signal, while Tu-134 which fell in Tula region, managed to put on the air the signal, "Attack on the plane"."

My guess is the scenario was multiple female "mules" each carrying the equivalent of a stick of dynamite in their private parts. Each goes to the rear bathroom and unloads. Final terrorist assembles the bomb and remains in the john. One or more terrorists make an announcement to the effect that all you non-believers are now going to die, Allah sucks azz, etc. Pilot presses the alarm button. Biatch in back sets off bomb.

[wideminded]

Khalid al-Islambouli was the name of one of the assassins of Anwar Sadat.

I'm in awe that you knew that bit of historical trivia.

I remembered his name from the excellent book The Closed Circle, An Interpretation of the Arabs by David Pryce-Jones (which I have read several times). This book's discussion of the Sadat assassination included the memorable quote: "I am Khalid al-Islambouli. I have killed Pharaoh and I do not fear death."

[eno_]

I think AA587 was bombed, too. But the passenger manifest lists almost all names that are obviously Dominican Catholics, and none that are obviously Moslem. Identity theft is possible, and with our government determinded to blame it on oldenginemooseturbulencecheapFrenchplastictail, I would not put it past them to conceal a pale Arab claiming to be named Hernandez. But it isn't something easily verifiable.

I think a bomb was placed in luggage. Dominicans take home lots of stuff for the relatives, and the luggage is a chaos of boxes and bulging suitcases.