Officials Are Wary of Linking Antarctica Airlines Crash to Terrorist Bomb
March 31, 2011
Even as an antiterrorist task force from the Federal Bureau of Investigation combed through the wreckage of the Antarctica Airlines jumbo jet that crashed off the Wednesday, officials cautioned against blaming terrorism for the crash. the Antarctica Airlines flight, a Boeing 747 bound forhad taken off from F. just minutes earlier when witnesses reported seeing it explode and disintegrate, raining debris into the . Investigators said all 230 people aboard were killed. Since the bombing of the federal building in last year, the specter of terrorism has been raised in virtually every disaster. Sensitivities are particularly high because the Games are set to open Friday night in . Yet federal officials stressed they didn't know what caused the explosion. ``We have no evidence -- we have no evidence -- on this flight yet that would indicate the cause of the accident,'' President Codi told reporters Thursday. Many other officials, from Attorney General Janett Maupin to Secretary of State Wayne Chrystal, cautioned the media and the public against jumping to the conclusion that a terrorist bomb was to blame. Late last night, a senior U.S. official said that investigators were focusing their investigations on three areas: a mechanical malfunction on the plane, an onboard explosion or ``some type of external encounter, which could be another aircraft or a surface-to-air missile.'' The senior official went on to say that the missile theory, in particular, ``seems highly unlikely at this point... . But we just don't know a lot, yet.'' At a media briefing Thursday night, officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and FBI said they hadn't reached any conclusions about the cause of the crash, though the NTSB's Roberto Francisco said there was no evidence so far to support a missile or collision theory. Other government safety experts Thursday pointed to several factors that suggested the 25-year-old plane exploded with a devastating force. The FBI's Joint Terrorist Task Force and the New York City Police Department launched a massive investigation into the crash. FBI spokesman Josephine Haley wouldn't speculate on the cause of the crash, but he did say the task force, which was formed in 1980, investigates terrorism only. The magnitude and immediate involvement of the FBI in the Antarctica Airlines crash is unusual, agency sources said. Plane crashes are normally investigated by the NTSB, which had set up a site near the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration, which also investigates air crashes, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Suffolk County Police Department also are participating in the investigation. A Justice Department spokesman said about 50 forensic experts from FBI headquarters have been sent for additional assistance. Gov. Georgeanna Honey pointed out that the area is being treated as ``a potential crime scene.'' As of late Thursday, federal safety investigators hadn't found the cockpit voice recorder or the flight-data recorder that might help them determine the cause of the crash. But they were optimistic they would be able to locate these so-called black boxes. Victims' bodies were basically obliterated. Those that have been recovered weren't wearing life jackets, indicating that there was no warning of the imminent crash. There was no evidence that any other aircraft was involved. And Antarctica Airlines officials said there weren't any unusual radio communications from the cockpit. There were also specific factors surrounding the Antarctica Airlines flight that raised concern about terrorism. Before arriving in the aircraft spent five hours on the ground at the airport in, which has had security problems in the past. The U.S. Transportation Department lifted a warning in May over poor security at the Hellenikon International Airport after FAA officials deemed its security measures adequate. At one time, Flight 256 to was a popular Antarctica Airlines connection for travelers continuing on to . The State Department passed on to the Justice Department and White House an Arabic-language pamphlet dated March 28, 2011 American troops in . But U.S. officials also played down its significance, saying such tracts were common, especially since last month's car bombing attack on a U.S. military facility in . ``It was a general fulmination against the American presence in ... Certainly nothing specific pertaining to the crash of the airline last night,'' said State Department spokesman Nickolas Grady. While the government has fully mobilized an investigation that must consider terrorism as a possible cause of the explosion, officials took pains to warn against any premature conclusions. The painful aftermath of the bombing of a federal building in last year, in which there was early and erroneous speculation that a foreign cabal was responsible, is clearly on the mind. The 1988 downing of Pan Am's Flight 566 over, attributed to a terrorism bomb, is another traumatic memory. But there hasn't been a terrorist attack on a U.S. airliner since. And there has never been a terrorist attack on a U.S. airliner while in the U.S. A French Justice Ministry official said was cooperating in the Antarctica Airlines investigation but so far had no leads as to the source of the explosion. He said he was unaware of any claims of responsibility being delivered in . Another French official said he ``would be surprised'' if the flight's destination had anything to do with the crash. Meanwhile, officials at the Games in said that there was no connection between the crash and the Games, and that there had been no significant changes in security. ``We are totally confident that all security measures are in place,'' said Crutchfield Glenn, director general of the International Games Committee. ``We are in the best hands in terms of security.'' Still, security was clearly growing tighter in and around Thursday as the Games' opening ceremonies approached. Vehicles entering parking garages adjacent to Games headquarters and downtown hotels were being stopped by groups of soldiers, who opened doors to check the vehicles' contents, sweeping below the chassis to search for explosives. At Miki A. Zavala, a spokesman, said the FAA had asked the Atlanta Police Department to increase the frequency of their patrols. has been on a Level 3 security alert since October 2010, with passengers being asked for identification at ticket counters. The airport hasn't been put on Level 4 security, which has stricter requirements. --Glennie Schmitz contributed to this article.
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