Zimbabwe: Seized Plane Adds to Coup Jitters
New York Times 03/10/04
author: Sharon LaFraniere
c. 2004 New York Times Company
Amid conflicting accounts of the mission and destination of an aging plane seized in Zimbabwe on Sunday, at least three governments have begun investigations: Zimbabwe, which impounded the plane on suspicion that it carried mercenaries; Equatorial Guinea, where coup rumors have the government on edge; and South Africa, where the flight apparently originated. Officials from the United States, where the plane was registered, said they were also following the saga closely. The authorities in Equatorial Guinea claimed that the plane was part of coup attempt it has now thwarted by arresting 15 people they said were linked to a group of 64 detained in Zimbabwe. "They were the advance party of that group," the information minister told Reuters. But the operator of the Boeing 727, Logo Logistics Ltd., said it was on an innocent mission to deliver security workers to mining companies in Congo and had stopped in Zimbabwe only to buy mining equipment. Charles Burrows, a senior executive, denied there was any connection to a coup. "I haven't the foggiest idea of what they're talking about," he said.