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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH Russian pilots report 'missile' sighting near El Al July 4 flight ======================================== By Inigo Gilmore in Jerusalem (Filed: 07/07/2002) Three Russian pilots confirmed yesterday that they had seen an explosion in the area of an El Al aircraft flying over eastern Ukraine on July 4, heightening fears that the Israeli national carrier may once again have become a target for terrorists. The El Al pilot, a veteran of the Israeli air force, had reported earlier in the week that a missile exploded close to his aircraft. Ukrainian government officials have told Israel that they are prepared to work with Israel in its investigation of the incident. The Ukrainian defence ministry said that it had not conducted any missile launches since accidentally downing a Russian airliner on a flight from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk in Siberia, last October, killing 78 passengers and crew. Further details of the incident emerged yesterday as Israel insisted that the shooting at Los Angeles airport on the same day - in which 41-year-old Egyptian, Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, killed two El Al workers before being shot dead himself - was an act of terror. The FBI has been withholding judgment on whether to label the shooting an act of terrorism or a hate crime. Reports of the missile attack have fuelled speculation that terrorists may have decided to focus on El Al as one of the most potent international symbols of Israel. From the late 1960s into the 1980s, El Al aircraft and passengers were subjected to shooting attacks, hijacking and bombing attempts. The airline would not be drawn on the possibility that it is once again being targeted, saying that it did not comment on security matters. "We are very confident about our security and after the incident in Los Angeles, the Palestinians, the Arabs, all of our enemies will know it is hard to get our people," said a senior El Al official. "Our security guards were very quick to react and we have again proved that we are the best airline for security." The debate over the missile incident was raging as passengers from the Los Angeles flight returned home yesterday, after the government granted a special dispensation to allow the aircraft to fly on the Jewish Sabbath. El Al said that security checks of passengers, air crew and El Al planes worldwide had recently been increased, but that it had received no specific threats to operations in Los Angeles or elsewhere. --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
