Unknown Islamists claim Egyptian plane attack

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=433160&section=news ^

[Fali_G]

An anonymous caller claiming to represent a previously unknown Islamic group says they brought down the Egyptian plane which crashed into the Red Sea on Saturday, killing 148 people.

The man told an international news agency in Cairo that the Yemen-based group Ansar al-Haq (Followers of the Truth) would also attack Air France planes unless the French government drops plans to ban Islamic headscarves from state schools.

There was no way to check the claim of the caller, who said he was an Egyptian member of the group.

The Egyptian government has ruled out a deliberate attack on the Boeing 737 charter plane, which crashed shortly after take-off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The dead included 133 French tourists.

[LikeLight]

I'd give the alleged terrorist spokesman about as much credibility as the official Egyptian spokesman. One claims terrorism, one insists it's not. I suspect neither has any real evidence to back his claims. Both are equally frustrating in their own way.

[Only1choice____Freedom]

It's previously unknown group calling themselves "Metal Fatigue"

We should all be on the lookout for Metal Fatigue.

They are as dangerous as their parent faction - Rust.

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[diamondjoe]

Have the Egyptians yet admitted that the Egypt Air crash off of Massachusetts was a deliberate act of suicide by the co-pilot, or are they still blaming "unusual weather" (like the kind that causes co-pilots to send the plane into a sudden and unrecoverable dive, for example) for the crash?

[Only1choice____Freedom]

The man told an international news agency in Cairo that the Yemen-based group Ansar al-Haq (Followers of the Truth) would also attack Air France planes unless the French government drops plans to ban Islamic headscarves from state schools.

Upon his capture, the spokesman was quotes as saying:

"Hey, it was worth a shot!"

[rintense]

Upon learning of this phone call, the French surrendered.

[Rutles4Ever]

Nice inclusion of the headscarves debate as an instigator. There must be a conmputer program with a "terrorist claim of responsibility" template somewhere.

[Capt. Tom]

Have the Egyptians yet admitted that the Egypt Air crash off of Massachusetts was a deliberate act of suicide by the co-pilot, or are they still blaming "unusual weather" (like the kind that causes co-pilots to send the plane into a sudden and unrecoverable dive, for example) for the crash?

In its final report on the crash of the Boeing 767, the National Transportation Safety Board said the copilot, Gameel El-Batouty, was alone in the cockpit when he disconnected the autopilot and sent the plane downward. The plane plunged into the sea off the Massachusetts coast on October 31, 1999, soon after it took off from New York en route to Cairo. All 217 people aboard were killed.

"There was no evidence of any airplane system malfunction, conflicting air traffic, or other event that would have prompted these actions," the report said.

The plane began to plummet after El-Batouty took control, the report said. While the pilot, Mahmoud el-Habashy, tried to bring the plane out of its dive, El-Batouty continued to keep it heading downward and shut off the engines, it said.

Egypt has rejected the theory that a suicide action was behind the tragedy, insisting that mechanical problems with the 767's flight control system might have been to be blamed.

EgyptAir insists that similar altitude control problem has been seen in Boeing 767s in the past, adding that many other possibilities also remain to be looked at.

[July 4th]

Very interesting...I wonder if there will be any reaction from the French public.

[sarasota]

That's what diminished the truth factor for me. Mindless threat.

[Paradox]

While the pilot, Mahmoud el-Habashy, tried to bring the plane out of its dive, El-Batouty continued to keep it heading downward and shut off the engines, it said.

Its too bad that because they refuse to believe the truth about El-Batouty, el_Habashy is not noted for his heroism.

[beelzepug]

Several 737's have experienced sudden hard-over rudder malfunctions. The description of what this plane did before crashing makes me wonder if that will turn out to be the cause.

[Quilla]

The Egyptian government has ruled out a deliberate attack on the Boeing 737 charter plane, which crashed shortly after take-off ....

Shouldn't that read:

The Egyption government ruled out a deliberate attack on the Boeing 737 charter plane within moments of take-off.

This crash could very well be attributed to a mechanical failure, but without any contact from the pilots, how can this be determined so quickly?

[mountaineer]

Isn't that what happened to US427, which crashed near Pittsburgh in 1994?

[Thinkin' Gal]

the Yemen-based group Ansar al-Haq (Followers of the Truth) would also attack Air France planes unless the French government drops plans to ban Islamic headscarves from state schools.

These people don't understand. The French needed those white headscarves!

[Dr. Frank fan]

You are all missing the point here. The point is that because something bad happened to them, unless they are 100% sure it was an accident, France should instinctively Ask Themselves Why They Are Hated.

And here we have someone helpfully explaining that France is Hated because of the headscarf-banning.

France should therefore change its headscarf-banning policy accordingly. End of story.

(This is nothing more or less than the same logic according to which 9/11 requires us to sign the Kyoto Treaty.)

[Conspiracy Guy]

You forgot . Shame!

[nuffsenuff]

If this turns out to be a terrorist attack... I called it a few days before the plane crashed...

See... http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1049409/posts?page=80#80

[Conspiracy Guy]

I fogot < satire> < /satire> Shame on me.