Al-Qaeda 'shot down' plane
2003-07-27 19:09
Dubai - An Islamic website on Sunday carried a statement attributed to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network claiming responsibility for a plane crash in Kenya that left 12 Americans and two South Africans dead.
The statement, the authenticity of which could not be verified, said the plane was hit "head on" with a ground-to-air SAM-7 missile.
It was apparently fired by followers of Mohammed Atef, the Egyptian national suspected of being Bin Laden's number two.
The statement said three CIA agents were on board the plane searching for Mujahedeen positions on the Kenyan border.
It also promised the Iraqi people the "arrival, very soon, of a present from Osama bin Laden to (US President George W) Bush and his band".
Kenyan officials said the light aircraft crashed into Mount Kenya amid thick clouds on July 19, and that the 12 Americans killed in the crash were members of the same extended family, including two grandparents.
- SAPA