Alas Chiricanas Flight 00901
Encyclopedia
Alas Chiricanas
Flight 00901, registry HP-1202AC, was an Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante
aircraft flying en-route from Colón city to Panama city which exploded shortly after departing Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport
, on the night of July 19, 1994. All 21 on board, including 12 Jews, were killed in the bombing. Both Panamanian and American
authorities consider the bombing an unsolved crime and an act of terrorism
.
The wreckage of the Bandeirante was strewn about the Santa Rita Mountains
near Colón. Panamanian investigators quickly determined that the explosion had been caused by a bomb, probably detonated by a suicide bomber aboard the aircraft. Only one body was not claimed by relatives; this body is believed to be that of a man named Jamal Lya. Officials suspected that the incident was an act of terrorism directed against Jews in part because it took place one day after the AMIA bombing
in Buenos Aires
, Argentina
which killed 85 people and which was also strongly suspected to be an act of terrorism against Jews.
Soon after Flight 00901 crashed, an organization using the name , or "Followers of God", issued a statement expressing support for the bombing, and claiming that the attack was a suicide operation by a person with an Arab
name. Later, it was determined the organization did not exist; many point to as the culprit. Panamanian authorities have made no arrests in connection with the bombing; The case remains officially unsolved.
Alas Chiricanas
Alas Chiricanas was a commuter airline based in Panama.- Fleet :Their fleet contained Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante, although they also operated the Dash 7 in fierce competition with Aeroperlas, a regional airline from Panama....
Flight 00901, registry HP-1202AC, was an Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante
Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante
The Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante is a general purpose 15-21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft suitable for military and civil duties...
aircraft flying en-route from Colón city to Panama city which exploded shortly after departing Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport
Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport
Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport is a commercial airport located in Colón, Panama, offering scheduled airline flights to the national capital, Panama City, and to other destinations....
, on the night of July 19, 1994. All 21 on board, including 12 Jews, were killed in the bombing. Both Panamanian and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
authorities consider the bombing an unsolved crime and an act of terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
.
The wreckage of the Bandeirante was strewn about the Santa Rita Mountains
Santa Rita Mountains
The Santa Rita Mountains, located about 65 km southeast of Tucson, Arizona, extend 42 km from north to south, then trending southeast. They merge again southeastwards into the Patagonia Mountains, trending northwest by southeast...
near Colón. Panamanian investigators quickly determined that the explosion had been caused by a bomb, probably detonated by a suicide bomber aboard the aircraft. Only one body was not claimed by relatives; this body is believed to be that of a man named Jamal Lya. Officials suspected that the incident was an act of terrorism directed against Jews in part because it took place one day after the AMIA bombing
AMIA Bombing
The AMIA bombing was an attack on the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina building in Buenos Aires on July 18, 1994, that killed 85 people and injured hundreds. It was Argentina's deadliest bombing...
in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
which killed 85 people and which was also strongly suspected to be an act of terrorism against Jews.
Soon after Flight 00901 crashed, an organization using the name , or "Followers of God", issued a statement expressing support for the bombing, and claiming that the attack was a suicide operation by a person with an Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
name. Later, it was determined the organization did not exist; many point to as the culprit. Panamanian authorities have made no arrests in connection with the bombing; The case remains officially unsolved.
External links
- 10 years after Panama airline bomb, Jews are pained by lack of suspects
- Few clues, no certainty 10 years after Panama airline bombing killed 12 Jews
- Acquittals in Argentine terror case cast a shadow across Panama
- Argentine trials may shed light on Panama mystery, Eric Jackson, Panama News Online, 17 October 2001.
- "Seeking Information" page for Jamal Lya from the U. S. Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of InvestigationThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...