The evidence that the bomb was introduced at Heathrow stands on its own. It's not a question of elimination, and showing that Heathrow is the candidate with the best chance. The physical evidence when combined with the baggage handlers' statements and the incoming flight records make it a certainty. You'd have to torture that evidence well beyond breaking point to get it to mean anything else.
This changes the game quite considerably when looking at the other evidence. Once you KNOW that the bomb was in the case Bedford saw, then you know it wasn't in any of the other candidates. The question then becomes, what was going on there? In particular, the two main other candidates were tray 8849, and Khaled Jaafar's checked-in luggage. What was that all about?
The evidence from Malta isn't a problem. There's no evidence of the bomb, or even an extra unaccounted-for item of luggage there. That's entirely consistent with the bomb being in the Bedford case. However, what about 8849? It would have been perfectly possible to have chucked an extra suitcase on to the wagon with the KM180 interline luggage, as it approached the coding stations, so long as it was properly tagged. It's actually the best explanation for the existence of tray 8849. But if that happened, the case didn't contain the bomb. Very peculiar.
Shelves groan under the weight of books and films that have been made investigating what the hell Khaled Jaafar and his disreputable associates were up to that day and on other days. It's difficult to imagine that amount of smoke doesn't have any fire behind it. But whatever that was, it wasn't the bomb. What the hell was going on, and did it have any connection to the atrocity at all?
So much more to find out in this case. Finding how the bomb got on the plane is only level 1. However, only when you've identified the actual bomb, can you see which are the red herrings and look at them in that light.
TELL THEM THE BEOMB WENT ON AT HEATHROW AND WE KNOW THIS FOR A FACT!
ReplyDeleteIt's at the very top of my list of things to say, Rolfe.
ReplyDeleteI knew I could trust you, Professor!
ReplyDeleteOops, BOMB, even.
ReplyDeleteDo you need a copy of my book to wave in their faces? Just let me know.
ReplyDeleteThe evidence that the bomb was introduced at Heathrow stands on its own. It's not a question of elimination, and showing that Heathrow is the candidate with the best chance. The physical evidence when combined with the baggage handlers' statements and the incoming flight records make it a certainty. You'd have to torture that evidence well beyond breaking point to get it to mean anything else.
ReplyDeleteThis changes the game quite considerably when looking at the other evidence. Once you KNOW that the bomb was in the case Bedford saw, then you know it wasn't in any of the other candidates. The question then becomes, what was going on there? In particular, the two main other candidates were tray 8849, and Khaled Jaafar's checked-in luggage. What was that all about?
The evidence from Malta isn't a problem. There's no evidence of the bomb, or even an extra unaccounted-for item of luggage there. That's entirely consistent with the bomb being in the Bedford case. However, what about 8849? It would have been perfectly possible to have chucked an extra suitcase on to the wagon with the KM180 interline luggage, as it approached the coding stations, so long as it was properly tagged. It's actually the best explanation for the existence of tray 8849. But if that happened, the case didn't contain the bomb. Very peculiar.
Shelves groan under the weight of books and films that have been made investigating what the hell Khaled Jaafar and his disreputable associates were up to that day and on other days. It's difficult to imagine that amount of smoke doesn't have any fire behind it. But whatever that was, it wasn't the bomb. What the hell was going on, and did it have any connection to the atrocity at all?
So much more to find out in this case. Finding how the bomb got on the plane is only level 1. However, only when you've identified the actual bomb, can you see which are the red herrings and look at them in that light.