Bin Laden's escape aircraft

[Matt Braddock]

Interesting story in the UK Sun newspaper today about the aircraft apparently used by Osama bin Laden to flee from Afghanistan.

The paper says the aircraft is an Antonov 32, registered in Saudi to the bin Laden family, as HZ-TAM and used as a freighter/VIP carrier.

UK and US intelligence people are trying to find it. Seems that the a/c was once owned by an arms dealer called Bout. Anyone see it recently?

Didn't AirCargo News have something on this recently?

[Modelmaker]

for those who want the link:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2002550718,00.html

the picture shows HZ-TAW - so i have my doubts about this story of your gossip paper... but it can be interesting to check out...

[Few Cloudy]

Seems he's looking for flight crew - good pay but the profiling is a bit problematic, rostering stinks too...

[steamchicken]

Viktor Bout: a name involved with many scandals involving aeroplanes. He is said to be a former KGB officer, and is alleged to have arranged shipment of weapons into and diamonds out of the Congo, guns and fuel into Angola, and of course diamonds out, and more recently gun-running for the Taliban. In 1999 he was named and accused by Peter Hain in the House of Commons.
The Angolan operation apparently used a/c including a whole Boeing 707 and a Caravelle.

Great guy.

[Proman]

'...a whole Boeing 707...'. What, engines and all?

[sharpshot]

Air Cess - a/c appear generally without titles nowadays and always being re-painted and re-registered. 3C- registrations currently predominate - but any "flag of convenience" fits the bill.
Used to use AN-12's and 24's but IL-18's are current flavour.

[DamienB]

UK and US intelligence people are trying to find it. Seems that the a/c was once owned by an arms dealer called Bout. Anyone see it recently?

Didn't the Guv say he was buying it to operate a VIP transport service? :D

[steamchicken]

Here's a story from Le Monde, November 5th.

Link to Le Monde's investigation (www.lemonde.fr/article/0,5987,3230--268089-,00.html )

And here's one from the Financial Times, July 10th 2000

Link to the FT story (http://specials.ft.com/ln/diamonds/monday5.htm)

Here's a Washington Post story concerning him and the beards from a website on him

link to ruudleeuw.com (http://www.ruudleeuw.com/air_cess_more.htm)

Here is a UN report on his activities in Angola:

UN report (http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/sanction/angola/0012rprt.htm#IX)

Here is a Guardian special report concerning him and Air Foyle(!)

Guardian report (http://www.ruudleeuw.com/vbout1.htm)

And here's a picture of the B707!

http://www.ruudleeuw.com/707-yagaf.jpg

This is from http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/sierraleone/bout.html

Before September 11, Bout's involvement in Afghanistan was mentioned in the press only occasionally in passing. Western intelligence officials or anonymous investigators were quoted as saying Bout started off there, arming the government forces fighting the Taliban and other rebels groups. On January 1, 2002, the Washington Monthly took Bout's Afghan connection one step further, saying that he switched sides and started selling to the Taliban while negotiating for the release of his plane and crew in 1995. This assertion was based on a quote from a source familiar with his activities who said, "He's a very enterprising person. When his plane was detained, he used the opportunity as a business introduction to the Taliban."

A few weeks later, on January 20, the Los Angeles Times reported on the key role played by the United Arab Emirates in hosting money laundering and arms trafficking operations for Al Qaeda and the Taliban, a result of lose government oversight. The article reported that Bout teamed up with Afghan-based militants in the emirate of Sharjah, where, as recently as early 2001, a company called Flying Dolphin, flew shuttles twice a week to the Taliban headquarters in Kandahar. Its owner, Sheik Abdullah bin Zayed al Saqr al Nahyan, was the UAE ambassador to the U.S. from 1989 to 1992, and was described by the U.N. as a business associate of Bout.

Afghan and U.A.E. air industry sources reported a meeting between "two Russians" and the United Arab Emirates representative of Ariana, the Afghan national airline, in which it was agreed that Bout's Air Cess would provide wheels, tires and other military goods for the Taliban air force. Flying Dolphin would provide charter flights when Ariana was unavailable.

The Afghan permanent representative to the United Nations, citing Afghan and American intelligence reports, said Ariana flights from Sharjah had transported chemical poisons to Kandahar: "cyanide and other toxic substances purchased in Germany, the Czech Republic and Ukraine." He said the Taliban "had nothing to do with this. These chemicals were for Bin Laden and his people. It was some of the chemicals they were using in experiments." Earlier, the US had reportedly pressured the U.A.E. to clamp down on Bout's operations, which simply resulted in his moving to a neighboring Emirate.

On January 31 of this year, the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) in Washington, D.C., published further links between Bout and Afghanistan, largely based on Belgian intelligence documents. According to these documents, Bout profited some $50 million from weapons sales to the Taliban in the late 90s. This information was independently verified by another European intelligence source as well as by intelligence documents from an unnamed African country, which said he had sold the guns "on behalf of the Pakistani government." The documents were all from before September 11 and did not specify the type or amounts of weapons sold to the Taliban, other than the fact they were from the stockpiles of the former Soviet Union.

The CPI report clearly stated that it had established no direct links between Bout and bin Laden, but that Taliban ties to Al Qaeda would have enabled weapons shipped to Afghanistan to make their way to Bin Laden's forces. It also said Bout left Belgium after details of the shipments were reported in the local media.

The story developed much more rapidly after February 8, when Belgian police raided 18 homes reportedly part of Bout's network. Police said they found invoices from sales to UNITA rebels in Angola and passes from Bagram airport in Afghanistan. Seven were arrested, three of whom were detained, including Sanjivan Ruprah, the most important source of evidence thus far on Bout's operations.

This from Hansard: parliamentary question on Bout.

2 May 2002 : Column: 929W


FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Victor Bout

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent developments there have been concerning Victor Bout. [54788]



Mr. MacShane: There have been two recent important developments. On 15 April 2002 the UK publication Air Cargo News published an article which alleges that Victor Bout had been involved in the supply of an aircraft for Osama bin Laden in 1995. Prior to 11 September this aircraft had reportedly been frequently overflying Iran from Saudi Arabia to Kabul and Kandahar in Afghanistan. It is now reportedly parked at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. I shall be asking that the United Nations investigate this very serious allegation as a matter of great importance.

Following our past approaches to the UAE on the subject of Victor Bout, and the issuing of an international arrest warrant by the Belgian authorities, I am pleased to welcome a recent announcement by the Government of the United Arab Emirates. They have informed the United Nations Angola Monitoring Mechanism that Bout's companies, ie Air Cess and Trans Avia, have been prohibited from operating in the United Arab Emirates. He has also been banned from entering the United Arab Emirates personally.

I hope that this increased international pressure on Bout will finally result in the end of his sanctions-busting activities and that he will be brought to justice. The UK has played a leading role in drawing international attention to Bout's illegal activities, initially in Angola and Liberia and more recently relating to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

[Boss Raptor]

Viktor Bout has been living in Moscow awaiting formal extradition...suspect he will finally be secured on a 'technicality charge' rather like Al Capone...

[cargosales]

Matt: It was in Air Cargo News 19th April issue. Just found a copy buried in the pile of junk by my desk. The Sun basically repeats the story but leaves out a ton of information .. (wouldn't want to overload the brain cell of their highbrow readers now would they)

Modelmaker: It is definitely HZ-TAM. The pic in the Sun just isn't very clear.


CS

[jetjackel]

Wait till the CIA finds Mr. Bout. Reads like a James Bond novel.

[JB007]

Better than Die Another Day...

[Cornish Jack]

Just a couple of notes for Matt Braddock and cargosales...
1. 'Sun newspaper' is an oxymoron.
2. 'Highbrow readers' should be singular.

[Modelmaker]

great to hear your stories what's behind all this...
Modelmaker: It is definitely HZ-TAM. The pic in the Sun just isn't very clear. yep, after a second look - you're quite right. *asking myself how i got medical class 1 :D*

[Paterbrat]

'Bout time somebody did something to Mr Bout, preferably high velocity. We know what is intended for Bin.

[sharpshot]

The 707 as pictured in previous post has a YA- registration and has been sitting down the west end at EBOS for at least the last 3 years.
(It isn't going anywhere):D

[Sensible Garage]

c/n 2708 HZ-TAM An-32 no titles ISB ..apr94 l/n DXB 29mar95, blue/green ceat line; c/n read from door; fate unknown, Bin Laden's aircraft ?

[GustyOrange]

Just a comment on 'The Sun'.

I clicked on the link in the office and our web monitoring software appeared saying "access to 'alternative journals' is filtered'.

I think that was the first time ever that this particular software has brought a smile to my face.

Apologies for going slightly off topic.

Gusty

[planetblu]

I think Khartoum Airport was an interesting place to spot "nice planes". I remember a Sabreliner, people used to say Bin Laden's private plane. And as a reminder that Sudan is an intersting country, after take off 36 just check on the chemical factory bombed by US.

[Jack The Lad]

Planetblue

Interesting; do you take 5 months to reply to all messages????

[dicksynormous]

he is having dinner with prince charleson saturday, apparantly he is a keen organic producer.

[Celtic Frog]

You all had me fooled. I thought the Sun paper was only good for wiping your bottom with....but dubious quality even for that!!:O