BELLVIEW CRASH: AN UNLIKELY CLAIM OF RESPONSIBILITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 001674

SIPDIS

TRANSPORTATION FOR FAA
DAKAR PLS PASS TO FAA REP ED JONES
ROME PLS PASS TO TSA REP JOHN HALINSKI
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2015
TAGS: CASC EAIR NI ASEC PREL
SUBJECT: BELLVIEW CRASH: AN UNLIKELY CLAIM OF RESPONSIBILITY

REF: LAGOS 1662 AND PREVIOUS


1. (U) The October 26 Punch Newspaper and Champion Newspaper
reported a previously unknown group, Coalition for Militant
Action in the Niger Delta (COMA),has claimed responsbility
for the October 22 Bellview flight 3210 air crash. COMA
claims its membership consists of the following groups: Isein
Justice Movement, Ijaw Militant Group, Niger Delta
Guerrillas, and the Ogoni Justice Seekers. The group claims
to have taken this action to protest the September arrest of
Niger Delta People's Vigilant Force (NDPVF) leader Dokubo
Asari on treason charges.


2. (C) Comment: Nigerian authorities have said they will
investigate this claim. The credibility of this claim
appears dubious. Asari's group, the NDPVF, is a well known
militia organization, but it is not/not a signatory to the
COMA claim. None of the signatories to this claim are known
to Post. This is the first time we can remember any group
claiming responsibility for a mass tragedy in Nigeria. While
we think the claim and the group behind it are likely
spurious, the fact that it has been uttered injects something
new and unfortunately nasty into an already troubled mix. At
the very least, this is a political trick of the worst
pedigree and one that will offend all ordinary sensibilities.
More worrisome is the possibility that overzealous security
agents may engage in a new round of arrests and detentions,
further increasing tensions in the Niger Delta. Most
worrisome but the least likely scenario, is that there is a
new militia group in the Delta that appears to eclipse the
others in its misconduct. End Comment.
BROWNE