Mystery of plane refused entry into Chinese airspace after retracted bomb/hijack threat!

Read this story and see what you think, fishy or what?

CNN

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A plane that reportedly was refused permission to land in China because of a bomb threat returned to Afghanistan and landed safely in Kandahar, officials told CNN.

"There was an aircraft that made a precautionary landing in Kandahar," Brian Naranjo, spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force, told CNN. "But there was no hijack and no bomb."

China's state-run news agency Xinhua initially reported the plane, which took off from Afghanistan, was hijacked, citing police sources. But Xinhua later quoted the same sources as saying the plane was denied permission to land in China's remote northwestern Xinjiang Autonomous Region because of a bomb threat.

Xinjiang was the scene of clashes last month between Han Chinese and the province's Uyghur population, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group.

After the Kam Airlines plane landed, Xinhua quoted a Kabul International Airport official as saying the plane landed in Kandahar because of a mechanical problem. However, Kam Airlines President Zamarai Kamgar told Xinhua that it was the first flight from Kabul to Urumqi, China, and that Kyrgyzstan -- which borders China -- refused to let the plane use its airspace.

Kamgar said the plane landed in Kandahar instead of Kabul because weather conditions in Kabul were unsuitable.

First it was hikacked, then there's a bomb, then it was refused entry in Kyrgyzstan airspace, then it has mechanical problems, then bad weather forces it to land in Kandahar not Kabul.

I want to find out WHO was on this flight, WHAT was on this flight. This really is fishy, and my BS sensing device is twitching big time.

I'll try and find out more.



[edit on 9-8-2009 by kiwifoot]

Very strange indeed.
If it was hijacked why would the hijackers turn around themselves surely they would just keep going.

I read it on BNO first I seen it was hijacked then as OP stated, the story changed. By the time I had read all of the changes the "hijackers" (who shouldn't have been on it according to BNO with their later bomb reports) landed it.

What the hell happened to this plane?? I'm glad you brought it up because I totally forgot about it.

Here's the AP report:

China says plane diverted to Afghanistan by threat

BEIJING — An Afghan plane bound for the restive western Chinese region of Xinjiang was sent back to Afghanistan after a bomb threat, Chinese media said Sunday.

Kam Air deputy chief Feda Mohammad Fedawi told The Associated Press that the plane, carrying 160 passengers, left Kabul and was crossing Kyrgyzstan on its way to the Xinjiang capital, Urumqi, when it was told to turn back.

The Xinhua News Agency said there had been a bomb threat and Urumqi airport authorities had been told not to let the plane land.

Kyrgyz authorities told the crew that Chinese authorities would not allow them into their airspace, Fedawi said. The plane could not return to the Afghan capital because of windy weather and was diverted to the southern city of Kandahar, Fedawi said.

He said there had been no bomb threat.

There was no immediate way to explain the differing accounts.

Urumqi was the scene of China's worst ethnic violence in China in decades when rioting last month killed 197 people and injured more than 1,700, according to official count.

Fedawi said the plane's passengers and crew were fine and it was expected to return to Kabul on Monday morning.

He said the plane had been inspected by Afghan officers and a foreign security company before departure in a security check he described as unusually thorough.

A press officer for NATO forces in Afghanistan, which control the Kandahar airport, said the alliance had received no report of a plane forced to land there.

A Xinjiang regional government duty officer, who refused to give his name, said he had not received any information about the incident, while calls to the region's public security bureau rang unanswered.

Calls to the Urumqi airport's information counter also rang unanswered.

The government has said that Urumqi has slowly been returning to normal since the rioting erupted on July 5 after police stopped a protest by ethnic Uighur residents. The Uighurs went on a rampage, smashing windows, burning cars and beating Han Chinese — the nation's dominant ethnic group. Two days later, the Han took to the streets and attacked Uighurs.

Amir Shah in Kabul reported from Kabul.

Even more intriguing, Kandahar Airport say they never got a request to land!??

What is going on?


[edit on 9-8-2009 by kiwifoot]