One of the most relevant voices associated with the recent speculation over the crash of an Air France jetliner on a transatlantic flight on June 1st, is Dr. Douglas Woodwell, a University of Indianapolis international relations professor.
The unanswered question raised by Woodwell in a recent editorial is: “So what brought down Air France 447?” The possible causes that emerge over and over are tied to the combination of weather,and structural, electronic, or mechanical failure, Woodwell suggests it is not so far-fetched to consider that terrorism may have played a role.
Woodwell affirms: “When a plane falls from the sky at 35,000 feet, it is worth considering who would have had the motivation and opportunity to bomb or sabotage the airliner.”
According to Woodwell, the most convincing circumstantial evidence for terrorism includes a history of Islamic extremism in and around Brazil, where the flight originated, as well as the recent opening of a French military base on the Arabian Peninsula. .
Woodwell notes: “During the past week, the French government announced the landmark opening of a military base in Abu Dhabi, the first permanent overseas military base the French have opened since they decolonized in the early 1960s. In other words, France’s first effort in decades to project power abroad is on the Arabian Peninsula in the heart of the Muslim world”.
It’s hard to argue with his analysis, in light of the fact that “the French basing agreement was announced on January 15 of this year, sufficient time to organize a response by sympathizers of Al Qaeda’s ideology, “ as Woodwell notes.
This much is clear to support Woodwell’s speculations. The Rio to Paris flight originated in the “Three-borders” area of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina- an area with a dense Muslim population along the Paragualy borders. What’s most interesting is that it is widely believed that terrorists from the Three-borders region launched attacks in Buenos Aires, Argentina on a Jewish community center, and the Israeli Embassy in the nineties.
I was visiting Argentina with my then 17- year- old son, when the Jewish community center was bombed, and I have never forgotten the devastation it caused. What was even more alarming occurred years later, when the former President of Argentina, Menem was charged with having accepted a bribe to initiate a “cover-up,” related to the attack. For me, the disappearance of Flight 447 obviously hits home.
And although mechanical and structural failure conspiring with poor weather is still being investigated, a better explanation still remains based on convicning factors.
Mail Online reported on June 3rd that the long-haul captain said he believed Flight 447 was the victim of terrorist attack. Even though no terrorist group has yet come forward to claim responsibility for such an attack, but the French government has not completely ruled out an attack. In fact, Mail Online also reported that speaking under condition of anonymity to Le Figaro newspaper the pilot said: ‘It is highly likely a bomb went off on board.”