Costa Rica
plane-crash mystery
Expert: Turner, others were
preparing for intelligence op
By David M. Bresnahan
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com
A multinational group of intelligence and
military operatives are preparing men and
supplies in the area of Liberia, Costa Rica
for a possible operation in Panama,
according to intelligence sources.
While investigating the mysterious Jan.15
plane crash that occurred in San Jose,
Costa Rica, WorldNetDaily was led to
intelligence sources who provided some
details of the operation on the condition
of anonymity -- revealing an even bigger
mystery.
Former CIA director Stansfield Turner
was nearly killed when the private plane
he was in crashed. His wife Karen, along
with Sigifred and Therese Richert, and
Antonio Sanchez Diaz were killed in the
crash. The pilot, Cleto Miranda Luna, died
of his injuries on February 2. There were
12 others who were injured on board the
plane and one on the ground.
The Czechoslovakian-built Taxi Aereo
Centroamericano LET 410 was a small
charter plane available for hire at the
Tobias Bolanos airport in San Jose, Costa
Rica.
The CIA refused to
confirm or deny press
reports of the crash at
the time. An
intelligence source
told WorldNetDaily
that the CIA could
not admit any
knowledge of the
crash because all the
passengers were
intelligence operatives.
Turner and his group were in Costa Rica
as part of a secret intelligence operation,
according to an informed source, who
says the plane crash brought press
attention to their presence, possibly
forcing the operation to be moved.
Whether the operation is still underway
in a new location and the specific
involvement of Turner could not be
determined, but the source would only
say the plans involved possible
deployment to Panama.
The flight plan showed that Turner's
plane was headed for the Tortuguero
National Park on Costa Rica's Atlantic sea
shore, which is said to be near the area
where the military forces and supplies
were being accumulated.
The plane was only a short distance from
the airport when it exploded and fell like
a rock from the sky, according to
witnesses. It crashed into a house with
three people inside, all of whom survived.
"I was coming up the street when
suddenly I saw the plane start to fishtail,"
said eyewitness, Pedro Chinchilla, as
reported in La Republica. "It fell, and then
I heard a loud noise, like a hurricane.
When I reached the site I could hear
screams coming from inside the house,"
he said.
The intelligence source was able to help
WorldNetDaily talk to another eyewitness
of the crash. The witness worked for the
airport and went immediately to the site
after the crash. He said he has worked
with CIA agents before and recognized
several going through luggage at the crash
site. He insisted that his identity remain
anonymous out of fear that he would face
reprisals in his job.
Rescue personnel were delayed slightly
while CIA agents were going through the
plane, which remained mostly intact. All
luggage and carry-on items were removed
from the plane while the rescue crew
evacuated survivors and casualties,
according to the source.
A Nicaraguan housekeeper was in the
house with two other people when the
plane crashed through the roof. She
suffered only minor injuries.
"It was like a bomb. Pieces of cement,
wood and even a wall fell on top of us,"
the housekeeper, Yamileth Saenz, told La
Nacion.
Information released by the International
Red Cross showed that there were nine
Spaniards, two French, one Salvadoran,
and three Costa Ricans on board when the
plane crashed.
Asked the cause of the crash, the
intelligence source said, "Well, let's just
say it wasn't an accident," but he declined
to give any details. He helped
WorldNetDaily contact sources who were
at the airline office and at the crash site
during the rescue after the crash, saying it
would help prevent future problems if
word of the nature of the crash became
public.
The airline source confirmed that Juan
Carlos was the scheduled pilot, but he
"was released against his will" just before
the flight was to take off. The source said
there was a heated debate over the
replacement pilot. Carlos objected, but
then he "suddenly stopped complaining
and walked away," apparently because he
was offered compensation to make up for
lost pay for not flying the plane.
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