With a clear attempt to shift suspicions toward Greece, Turkish circles are citing a recent trip of the ill fated aircraft to Crete, attempting to link the crash of the private jet that was carrying a Libyan military delegation with its flights through Greek territory.
The Falcon 50 with registration 9H-DFS, which crashed near Haymana of Ankara shortly after taking off from Ankara Airport with destination Tripoli, is now being examined not only for technical causes, but also through a heavy geopolitical prism.
They point to Crete and Malta
According to reports by the pro government newspaper Turkiye, particular emphasis is placed on the fact that:
1) on 20 December the aircraft flew from Crete to Malta
2) two days later, on 22 December, it continued from Malta to Tripoli.
The reference to Crete is being projected intensely, with insinuations that the passage through Greece was not accidental, during a period of tension due to the Turkey – Libya maritime zone delimitation agreement, which has provoked strong reactions in Athens.
Although no official indication or evidence links Greece to the accident, the Turkish side:
1) selectively highlights the Greek segment of the rout
2) implies that the flight via Crete “must be examined specially”
3) cultivates a climate of suspicion, without presenting technical or operational data.
At the same time, the aircraft’s other stops in Brussels, Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia are quietly downplayed, despite the fact that these are also normally recorded in flight logs.
The Ankara Court of First Instance Prosecutor’s Office has assigned the case to four prosecutors, however the insistence on the route via Crete creates the impression that the investigation is accompanied by political targeting, even before a final finding exists.
There are also quite a few voices in the neighboring country that involve agents of Israel in the Falcon’s flight to Crete, mainly due to the presence of an American base.
All of this, of course, consists merely of indications, and everyone is waiting for the black box to “speak”, if it “speaks”.
Yet the mere fact that they consider us by default lackeys of the United States and Israel is a diplomatic defeat.
The general’s funeral
Hundreds of people bid farewell on Sunday to the western Libyan army chief Al-Haddad and four others who were killed in an air accident in Turkey.
The coffins of the general and two others were carried into a stadium in the coastal city of Misrata, their hometown, for a funeral ceremony attended by the prime minister and other military and political leaders.
The bodies will be received by their families for private burial elsewhere.
Ceremonies were also held in Ankara and Tripoli on Saturday.
A private jet carrying Al-Haddad, four other military officers, and three crew members crashed on Tuesday after taking off from Ankara, the capital of Turkey.
Libyan officials said the cause was a technical malfunction of the aircraft, but the investigation continues in coordination with Turkey.
Libya plunged into chaos after the 2011 uprising that overthrew and killed longtime dictator Gaddafi.
The country split, with rival governments in the east and west, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments.
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