EgyptAir crash wreckage found as act of terror firmed as most likely explanation

INVESTIGATORS say smoke was detected in multiple places as reports emerge of threatening graffiti daubed on the fuselage.

The Egyptian army said that it has found wreckage of the missing Airbus 320 (290 kilometres) north of the city of Alexandria.

• Wreckage found, no survivors

• Aussie confirmed on board flight

• EgyptAir Flight MS804 was carrying 66 people

• Aircraft dropped from radar screens at 37,000 feet

AN ACT of terror has firmed as the most likely explanation for the EgyptAir crash, as the Egyptian military confirmed the discovery of wreckage meant there were no survivors.

Egyptian authorities initially spotted a body part, two seats and suitcases during their search in the Mediterranean Sea for the crashed EgyptAir Flight 804.

Other items were spotted through Saturday morning, with the Egyptian military releasing images they stated were from the plane.

This picture posted Saturday, May 21, 2016, on the official Facebook page of the Egyptian Armed Forces shows part of a plane chair from EgyptAir flight 804. Picture: Egyptian Armed Forces via AP

This picture posted on the official Facebook page of the Egyptian Armed Forces spokesman shows part of the wreckage from EgyptAir flight 804. Picture: Egyptian Armed Forces via AP

French investigators are also checking again for security flaws at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, despite already stripping hundreds of employees of their security clearance since last year’s jihadist attacks.

Meanwhile, flight data suggests there were smoke alerts aboard EgyptAir Flight before it crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, CNN is reporting.

However, a US official characterised Friday’s report as an unconfirmed rumour.

The Egyptian military released the first images of debris found at the site of the #EgyptAir crash pic.twitter.com/bHkSONQUns

— Michael Horowitz (@michaelh992) May 21, 2016

In other developments, a European Space Agency says one of its satellites has spotted a possible oil slick in the same area of the Mediterranean Sea where the plane disappeared.

The agency cautioned that there was no guarantee the slick was from the missing aircraft but said its sister satellite Sentinel-2A would pass above the same area on Sunday and images will be studied for further clues as to the plane’s fate.

The wreckage was located 290-kilometres north of the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria during the second day of extensive air and sea searches.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed his condolences to the families of those on board.

“The presidency with utmost sadness and regret mourns the victims on board the EgyptAir flight who were killed after the plane crashed in the Mediterranean on its way back to Cairo from Paris,” said a statement released by his office.

The navy is sweeping the wreckage area looking for the plane’s black box, the military said. Picture: AFP/EGYPTIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY

The navy is sweeping the area looking for the plane’s black box, the military said.

A team of Egyptian investigators led by Ayman el-Mokadam — along with French and British investigators and an expert from Airbus — will inspect what the army has found, Egyptian officials said.

Egypt’s Aviation Minister Sherif Fathy said terrorism was more likely than technical failure, as the cause of the early morning crash.

French Foreign Minister Jean-March Ayrault insisted all possibilities for the crash were being looked at, and the US Government was silent.

But White House hopefuls Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton left no doubt about their advice on the crash.

Trump called the disaster “another terrible but preventable tragedy” and Clinton said it shone “a very bright light on the threat we face from organised terror groups”.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the government was “working with our partners and allies to understand the reasons behind the flight’s disappearance and presumed crash”.

“It is too early to speculate on the cause of this incident,” said Ms Bishop.

But Australian aviation and terrorism experts were convinced an explosion caused the A320 to suddenly lurch left and plunge 22,000 feet, before spinning right and disappearing from radar screens.

Deakin University terrorism expert Professor Greg Barton said a small device placed near the skin of the aircraft and detonated at altitude would be sufficient.

“If it was at the rear of the plane it could be enough to take the tail off, which would explain the loss of control and rapid descent,” said Prof Barton.

“There are few other explanations. It’s hard to see why an A320 that’s only 12-years-old, flying in clear weather at the top of its cruise would suddenly fall out of the sky.”

Former commercial airline pilot Byron Bailey shared Prof Barton’s view that a “small device” would be needed to destroy an aircraft flying at 37,000 feet.

Family members of passengers who were flying aboard an EgyptAir plane that vanished from radar en route from Paris to Cairo. Picture: AFP/ KHALED DESOUKI

“You don’t need a big device to puncture a hole in the rear compartment and take out the flight control surfaces at the back,” said Mr Bailey.

“Once those control surfaces are damaged, it’s just an awful situation with the plane spiralling out of control for a minute or two before reaching the sea.”

Having flown to Tunisia, Cairo and Paris, Mr Bailey said it was most likely such a device was secreted in the cargo hold in the North African city of Tunis.

“To me the main threat comes from ground handlers at the back of the aeroplane,” he said.

“It would be easy for an Islamic State sympathiser before they shut the cargo door, to hide something down the back.”

While terrorism is most likely no one knows who is responsible.

Shiraz Maher at the International Center for the Study of Radicalisation in London says IS on Thursday released a 20-minute video about how they planned to conquer India. He says “if they had been involved in the crash, it would be very odd for them to have sent that video rather than boasting of the crash.”

Three European security officials say the passenger manifest for EgyptAir Flight 804 contained no known names on current terror watch lists.

No-one could explain how such a device would get past security at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, where MS804 spent an hour before taking off for Cairo.

Since the Charlie Hebdo massacre in January, 2015, security at the airport has increased and every flight from the Middle East is met by French police.

Richard Osman, the Aussie who was on the Egyptair flight that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off Cairo. Picture: Facebook

Passports and bags are checked before passengers are allowed into the airport building.

Staff screening has also intensified to identify anyone within the airport who may have links to terrorism.

Prof Barton said it would take time for the wreckage to be recovered from the Mediterranean Sea.

“It’s very busy and full of rubbish — all sorts of stuff — lots of life jackets from asylum seeker boats,” he said.

“If the airline entered the ocean at velocity, largely in one piece, there might be very little surface debris.”

AUSSIE ON BOARD

A dual British-Australian citizen was among the passengers, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has confirmed. The only Briton identified by EgyptAir, was Richard Osman, 40, a geologist for the Australian-listed mining company Centamin.

Mr Osman joined Centamin’s Sukari operation in Egypt as Senior Mine Geologist in 2002, after five years with Harmony Gold’s Big Bell facility in Western Australia.

He was a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and held in high-regard by colleagues.

The son of an Egyptian doctor, Mr Osman was born and raised in Wales.

Despite working in Cairo, he lived in Jersey with his French wife Aureilie and also maintained a home in Paris. The couple had just welcomed their second child, and he was delighted with fatherhood.