US Confirms Grounded Plane Missing

Senior officials in Washington now confirm what ANN reported last week (ANN: Friday, May 30, 2003 - "Say, Isn't This Where I Left My Boeing?") - an Angolan airliner is missing from Luanda Airport. The Airangol 727 had been grounded at Luanda more than a year ago because of safety concerns. On Thursday, however, Angolan officials told the South Africa Daily News a white man boarded the aircraft, started the engines and took off - all without authorization from air traffic control.

American officials don't mention the part about the aircraft being stolen from Luanda. Instead, they indicate the 727 was on a flight from Luanda to Burkino Faso, in northwestern Africa. Stolen or not, the aircraft never arrived at its destination.

An unnamed US official told CNN, there's "no evidence or information to suggest this is terrorist-related," and suggested "it is most likely criminal." According to this official, the plane was leased, and the people involved were behind in their payments.

American law enforcement agencies and the intelligence community are working with the Angolan government to help figure out why the plane was stolen and where it ended up.

Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security issued an warning to the US aviation industry, citing "recent reliable reports" that indicated al Qaeda was in the final stages of planning an aerial suicide attack against the American Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. According to a source who read the notice, it noted "al Qaeda's continuing fixation with using explosive-laden small aircraft."

FMI: www.whitehouse.gov/homeland