Recently uncovered FBI documents reveal that an Egyptian terrorist group claimed responsibility for the shooting down of TWA Flight 800, which resulted in the deaths of all 230 individuals aboard, as highlighted in a documentary marking the tragedy’s 30th anniversary.
This assertion, along with discoveries of potential explosives in newly accessed Freedom of Information Act documents, has reignited longstanding debates regarding whether the Boeing 747-100 crashed on July 17, 1996, due to a missile or a bomb.
Among the records acquired by the nonprofit group Judicial Watch is a teletype from New York dating back to two days after the incident. This document indicates that “FBI headquarters received a fax from Cairo claiming credit for the destruction of the aircraft.”
However, the identity of the terrorist group is not detailed, nor is there any indication of law enforcement’s evaluation of the credibility of these claims. A 14-month investigation by the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force, along with a four-year inquiry by the National Transportation Safety Board, effectively dismissed this theory.
This information has led Judicial Watch to pursue further answers, filing a federal lawsuit against the NTSB to obtain additional insights. Their findings will be showcased in a forthcoming 45-minute documentary titled “Judicial Watch Investigates TWA 800 – 30 Years Later,” set to debut on YouTube shortly.
Chris Farrell, the leading investigator for Judicial Watch, expressed concern over the fax claims. “Did you track them? To what extent? Was it a scam? Was it legitimate?” he pondered. He further remarked on the alarming context of the claims, noting that Cairo was a hub for radical Islamic groups at that time.
TWA Flight 800 took off from New York’s JFK Airport at 8:19 p.m. en route to Paris, only to explode in the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, 12 minutes post-takeoff, killing all 18 crew members and 212 passengers instantaneously.
Following extensive investigations, the NTSB concluded a short circuit likely ignited a fire in the plane’s central fuel tank. Nonetheless, its origin could not be definitively identified.
A document noted, “One of the flight attendants who served on Flight 800…” with portions redacted. James Kallstrom, head of the FBI’s New York office during the investigation, mentioned that a crew member’s spouse was friends with an FBI agent. This connection raised eyebrows, facilitating further scrutiny of the investigation’s findings.
The NTSB’s determination concluded the “probable cause” was an explosion induced by an ignition of a flammable mixture within the center wing fuel tank.
The comprehensive $40 million investigation, which involved painstaking reconstruction of the wreckage from the ocean floor, could not pinpoint the ignition source but suggested the most plausible cause was an electrical spark.
By 1997, the FBI had officially closed its investigation, with Kallstrom acknowledging the absence of evidence indicating criminal activity as the cause of the disaster.
Questions linger despite the investigation’s conclusions, like why other 747s weren’t grounded afterward and why there weren’t similar incidents in subsequent years.
Among the documents acquired through FOIA requests is an internal FBI memo from February 1997 intended to update families, discussing “the three most likely theories” behind the explosion—bomb, missile, and mechanical failure.
Witness reports indicated seeing a streak of light prior to the explosion, and CIA video simulations suggested they viewed fuel igniting and leaking.
Dr. Tom Stalcup, a physicist involved in legal cases for victims’ families, highlighted an area of the fuselage that appeared bent, indicating an external explosion source. He controversially claimed this damage was altered during investigation efforts. Many families received varying compensations from airlines and Boeing in the years after the crash.
Stalcup asserted, “The curl disappeared, and they flattened it like a pancake. They tampered with the evidence as if there was no internal damage from external forces.”
The NTSB responded to Stalcup’s claims while reaffirming previous findings that suggested the source of the ignition was likely external to the center wing fuel tank.
The documentation also indicated that design flaws contributed to the accident, highlighting that fuel tank explosions were avoided mainly through the elimination of ignition sources.
Farrell remains skeptical of the official explanation, deeming it absurd that a mere spark could ignite the central fuel tank.
The group anticipates that their documentary will spark renewed interest and push government agencies to release further documents that might shed light on this tragic case.
