Dubai looking into freighter crash again following al-Qaeda

UAE authorities are reviewing the crash of a UPS cargo plane.

Travel Insurance News - 08/11/2010

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Authorities in Dubai are reviewing the crash of a UPS cargo flight after claims by al-Qaeda that it brought the aircraft down. The plane was originally thought to have crashed after a shipment of lithium batteries burst into fire in the plane’s cargo hold. Both pilots were killed when the plane crashed at a military base outside Dubai.

Authorities believe Al-Qeda in the Arabian Peninsula is responsible for two parcel bombs that were found in the UK and Dubai in the last two weeks. The group is now claiming to be responsible for the crash of the UPS aircraft.

The director-general of the general civil aviation authority in the UAE, Saif al-Suwaidi, said that everything was possible and that they would be rechecking all aspects of the case. The pilots of the UPS jet contact Bahrain air traffic control to report smoke in the cabin. They tried to return to Dubai Airport but failed to make it.

Saif al-Suwaidi pointed out that it was clear there had been no explosion on board the aircraft. An explosive device was never thought likely to have been responsible for the crash. The two parcels found almost a fortnight ago have been examined by experts. They say there was enough explosive to have blown a hole through the side of an airplane.

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