Militant group claims responsibility for downing two Russian planes

[Nambe]

CAIRO, Egypt (AP)

A claim of responsibility for the downing of two Russian planes appeared on a website known for militant Muslim comment Friday.

The statement, which accused Russians of killing Muslims in Chechnya, was signed 'the Islambouli Brigades.' A group with a similar name has claimed at least one previous attack, but the legitimacy of the group and the authenticity of such statements could not be verified. Russian officials have said terrorism was the most likely cause of Tuesday's plane crashes, which killed 89 people.

"We in the Islambouli Brigades announce that our holy warriors managed to hijack two Russian planes and were crowned with success though they faced problems at the beginning," the statement said without elaborating on the problems. ..

Lieut. Khaled Islambouli was the leader of the group of soldiers who assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat during a military parade in Cairo in 1981.

[Born Free]

1. GOP says: The world is a safer place thanks to the coward bush

Poltical ignorance
grows terrorism

[Kemet]

2. Traces of explosive found at one crash site.

It seems that it wasn't an accident after all.

My thoughts go out to the victims' families.

[papau]

6. 2 ladies wearing 6 oz of explosives - and US type searches do not check

for explosives on the body - either.

Congressional testimony the other day said that was a loophole in the protections put in place after 911.

Looks like the critics of Bush were correct - again.

[lapfog_1]

3. Bojinka writ small

Al Quaida NEVER gives up on a plan.

They first tried to bomb the WTC with a truck bomb. Worked but
didn't knock the towers down. Then they tried to hijack an airliner
and fly it into the Eiffel tower, hijacking was foiled.

This SIMULTANEOUS bombing of two airliners has the Philippine plot
signature all over it.

They are persistent, and their planning is long term. Any claim of
"We are doing a GREAT job on security, there hasn't been a terrorist
attack on the US since 9/11" is just so much b.s. They haven't
really TRIED to attack the United States since 9/11.

[Aidoneus]

4. On the side, that's some real thin limb they went out on there..

"which accused Russians of killing Muslims in Chechnya" ... I hear they also accused the clouds of obscuring the sun.

Nothing remotely interesting about this on Kavkaz yet, in English or Russian. If it was a Chechen Op, I think Shamil would've spoken of it by now. I suspect rather that they're too busy with active operations on the ground to worry about the friendly skies. Basayev, for instance, was a part of the Ingush Resistance-led move against the Russians in the Ingush capital, filming himself inside the Interior Ministry in the middle of their victory. It seems just a waste of time for moves such as this when their current position of strength allows for so much more useful operations; and anyway, the sort as this is just not their style. I wouldn't be surprised if the 'black widows' did it on their own, but it still wouldn't make sense.

Caught an interesting blurb on this from some TV report, probably CNN.. It is said that the same sort of explosive trace found there was used in the '99 apartment blasts, which were found to have in fact been planted not by any Chechen but secret service ops.

Strange group to claim "credit" for this. I don't see their love note on any of the sites of the sort that I'm familiar with, but that is a minor point. 'Kitaeb al-Islambouli' is a part of the Qa'idat al-Jihad umbrella in Pakistan that to my knowledge has ever only made itself known when taking credit for failed attempts on the 'friendly dictator' Busharraf's life. :shrug:

[MaineDem]

5. BBC also said that two women passengers haven't been claimed by relatives

Officials said at least one was Chechnyan. No relatives have come forward for these two women.