- Atlanta - Boston - Chicago - DC Area - Houston - Jersey Area - Los Angeles - New York - SF Bay Area
- Earlier editions
- Astrology - Cricket - Money - Movies - Women - India News
- Rediff Chat - Rediff Bol - Rediff Mail - Home Pages
Onkar Singh in New Delhi
Top brass of the Central Bureau of Investigation have expressed surprise at news reports appearing in leading national dailies and some British tabloids that senior Hizbollah leader Imad Mughniyeh was behind the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 in December 1999.
"We have seen the news reports," said a top officer of the agency, "and we can tell you on authority that during the course of the investigations, at no point did the name of the Hizbollah leader figure anywhere."
The officer denied any knowledge of how the media was linking Mughniyeh with the hijacking. "Maybe he is involved in the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington," he remarked. "But as far as his involvement in the IC-814 hijacking is concerned we are not looking for him."
The CBI had released the names of several key suspects, including the brother and brother-in-law of suspected terrorist leader Maulana Masood Azhar, for hatching the conspiracy to hijack the Indian Airlines flight to Kandahar.
According to the reports in the British media, Western intelligence agencies suspect the involvement of Mughniyeh, a pro-Palestine guerilla leader, in the attacks on New York and Washington. Mughniyeh is believed to be in Iran.
"I do not understand the logic behind pinning the blame on the Palestinians," the CBI officer remarked. "I think the reports are being sponsored by Western intelligence agencies and the Israelis, who have an axe to grind."
He argued that Israel was disappointed that American investigators had not pointed an accusing finger towards the Palestinians for the attacks on New York and Arlington though some of the key hijackers may have been Arabs.
Asked about the similarities in the modus operandi adopted by the hijackers of IC-814 and the hijackers of the American planes, the officer pointed out that many hijacks have been done at knifepoint because of the difficulty of smuggling firearms aboard.
Click Here for the complete coverage of the IC-814 hijack
The Attack on America: The Complete Coverage
EXTERNAL LINK For Further Coverage and Information, you may visit www.saja.org/roundup
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
