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Terrorist suspects were on doomed Air France plane
Peter Allen in Paris10.06.09
Two passengers with names linked to Islamic terrorism were on board the Air France flight which crashed and killed 228, it emerged today.
French secret service staff established the connection while working through the list of those who boarded the Airbus 330-200 in Rio de Janeiro on 31 May.
Flight AF447 crashed in the mid-Atlantic en route to Paris during a storm. While it is certain there were computer malfunctions, terrorism has not been ruled out.
Soon after news of the crash, agents from the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure, the French equivalent of MI6, were sent to Brazil.
They established that the two passengers were on highly-classified French documents listing radical Muslims considered to be a threat.
A security service source said the link was "highly significant".
Agents are trying to establish dates of birth and family connections of the two passengers. The source said there was a possibility the name similarities were a "macabre coincidence" but they were still being "taken very seriously".
France has received threats from Islamic terrorist groups in recent months, especially since it sent troops to Afghanistan.
Security chiefs were worried about airborne suicide attacks similar to the 9/11 strikes on New York.
Investigators today refused to rule out terrorism, but an Air France spokesman said "all the indications" were that the plane suffered some kind of catastrophic equipment failure.
A French nuclear submarine, the Emeraude, and a ship with robot submarines should reach the site by tomorrow night.
On Monday a Brazilian crew found the tail fin, which could narrow the area where the data recording black boxes may be.
A total of 41 bodies have been recovered from the crash zone 700 miles off Brazil's north-east coast.
Officials are using DNA samples and dental records to identify the remains.
Reader views (13)
A small matter. If the suspected pair boarded a plane in Rio - then it's a question for Brazillian security not Air France. As far as flagging tickets etc - Airlines can only go off what governments tell them and I doubt French security (or any other similar organisation in any country) goes around openly publishing classified lists of names. Police forces do when people are accused of crimes. In this case the information would also have be made available to Brazil. If these guys hadn't actually broken any law there'd be little information available. Also if they were terrorist types I doubt they'd use their own names!
- David, Sydney Australia
What if the real situation was both scenarios, terrorist and equipment failure? How difficult is it to run an electronic interference device, when even innocent wireless devices have to be turned off? Just have not heard anything of this possibility.
- Kozf, bendigo australia
Airbus and Air France are HOPING it was terrorism instead of a major problem with the AIrbus aircraft fly-by-wire control system - but the nose-dive of that Qantas A-330 (and others) still isn't explained. Airbus = flying coffin.
- Brent, Huntington Beach, CA, USA
Flty air france again? No thank you.laxed security is un acceptable. Those two should NEVER been allowed on the plane
- Mark Armstrong, london. uk
What now - we're going to have a rash of retrospective claims by various terrorist groups that they were responsible, having been given this foot in the door of speculation?
- Rogan, Irving
Oh my God! I feared as much. Planes just don't fall out of the sky. if it turns out to be the result of terrorists then the French have a lot of explaining to do.
- Kevan, Runcorn, England
Here we go - the barmy army of conspiracy theorists are clambering out of their little boxes to regale us with their lunacy. Viva the internet, yeah?
- Ted, London
I see the French Secret Service have excelled themselves...why were the suspected terrorists not hauled off the plane...their names should have been flagged up as soon as they booked a ticket....heaven help them if terrorism is suspected....fly Air France ...i don't think so.
- Rosie, Watford
frace pls stop making excuses for cheapness
- Maria, trinidad Tobago
Not much point in having the secret services checking names of possible terrorists AFTER everyone had boarded the plane!
- Sue, Orpington, Kent
every cloud.
- Squiz, Islington
Neil M Basingstoke - This is where you go if you let Civil Liberties dictate other policy.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke
Oh dear,that's a shame.
- Steve, London
