If your theory is correct, then these incidents would be occurring with such boring regularity — all over the world, mind you — that the airline industry would cease to exist.
There have been dozens of shootdowns since this incident, the vast majority in 3rd world hellholes.
I am a retired airline mechanic, and my specialty was internal fuel tank repair. I can say with 100% confidence the “center fuel tank explosion” theory is pure unadulterated bullshit concocted for the consumption of “low information voters”.. And it worked.