Sinai air crash investigation: Potential Islamist responsibilities
As the investigation on the Kogalymavia
Airbus crash progress, the bomb hypothesis becomes more
and more plausible. Even though Egyptian authorities had immediately linked the
crash to a structural failure or a potential engine explosion, this option
seems now ruled out. The analysis of the black boxes did not reveal any problem
in the aircraft equipment but they rather end abruptly, suggesting a sudden
blast that split the aircraft in two pieces, separating the head from the tail
and that is typical of a bomb blast. Similar conditions were found in previous
plane detonations such as Pan Am flight 103 in December 1988 and Uta flight 772
over the Tenerè desert in September 1989.
The missile hypothesis has also been excluded because the Airbus was flying at a cruising
altitude of 9,000 meters and Isis terrorists do not have the required missiles
and technology for such an operation.
Russia and Egypt still have to formally
announce the cause of the disaster. Both countries dismissed as premature U.S.
and British assessments last week that a bomb likely was responsible but in the
meantime Moscow suspended passenger flights to Egypt. Over the weekend, Russia
mounted an airlift to repatriate thousands of Russian vacationers who had been
stranded in Sinai after regular flights were canceled. Foreign airlines such as
Lufthansa, Easyjet, Klm, Air France and Emirates have also suspended flights to
Sharm el-Sheikh.
If the bomb hypothesis is formally confirmed, then it will be
mandatory to identify and prosecute the organizers and the perpetrators of this
vicious crime.
Isis' local affiliate, which calls itself the al-Wilayat Sinai
(Sinai Province of Islamic State), claimed responsibility for the crash, and indicated it was in retaliation
for Russia's military intervention in the Syrian civil war. The group pledged
alliance to Isis in 2014 and is currently led by Abu Osama al-Masri.
Although the Isis claim needs to be carefully examined as it is
not the only potential group that had interest in striking Russia and Egypt. In
fact, in early October the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood had declared
jihad against Russia for its anti-terrorist operation in Syria.
On October 5th the website of the Muslim Brotherhood
posted a statement that glorified the resistance against Russia, Egypt and
Iran, recalling previous anti-Moscow campaigns in Chechnya and Afghanistan:
"Amidst an international conspiracy against the Arab World,
and Islamic identity as mainstream Sunni Muslims, courageous Syria and its
great men stand steadfast in a historic battle against the Russian and Iranian
occupiers and their criminal partner Al-Sisi.
The Muslim Brotherhood reiterates its full support for the Syrian
people and the revolution against the treacherous Alawite criminal Bashar
Al-Assad. The group refuses ongoing endeavors to divide Syria under the
auspices of the Mullahs of Iran, the Czars of Russia and the criminal Zionists,
with Arab blessing assisted by the heinous Al-Sisi.
The Brotherhood stresses that the continuation of the Russian and
Iranian occupation of Syria means matters will get even worse, with the
resistance seen in Chechnya and Afghanistan repeated with tragic consequences for Tehran, Moscow and their allies......"
These threats, which do not seem to have been taken into
consideration by Western media in relation to the Airbus case, are extremely
important. In fact, the Muslim Brotherhood was formed in Egypt at the beginning
of the 20th century and it has been operating in the country
for decades, finding support among the lower classes thanks to its economic aid
to a vast part of the population which often goes side to side with Islamist
indoctrination. In 2003 the Muslim Brotherhood was banned by the Supreme Court
of Russia for links to Chechen terrorists and the organization is currently
outlawed in Egypt Saudi Arabia, UAE and Syria.
Even though Egyptian President Abdelfattah al-Sisi took strong
measures against the organization, it is clear that many sympathizers and
members are still present and keeping a low profile. The Muslim Brotherhood,
throughout the years, managed to infiltrate many areas of Egyptian society and
penetrate key business and institutional positions.
Placing a bomb on a commercial airline is not an easy task; it
requires the proper technical know-how, the capacity of disguising the
explosive device among common objects and, most important of all, it might need
the logistic support of a consolidated network on the ground, with a detailed
knowledge of airport security measures and with possible "inside-men"
operating in the structure.
The question is: could Isis have organized and perpetrated the
whole operation by itself? Or did it require the help of a local network that
had the capabilities of coordinating such a complex plan? According to some
analysts the order of bombing the Airbus did not even come directly from Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi but it was more likely the work of a group that shared the
Isis ideology, which makes sense because Isis is not an organization with a
strict hierarchy like al-Qaeda and it can be seen more as a
"franchising" of terror. It is true that jihadist Isis-linked groups
such as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis and Wilayat Sinai are present in northern Sinai
and are currently fighting the Egyptian government, but they are
guerrilla-warfare oriented; the possibility that they would have the
previously-discussed capabilities for such an act do raise serious doubts.
Source: pravdareport
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