Mystery leader of Argentinian terrorist attacks leads to corrupt government

It has been over two decades since the grisly terrorist attack that left 85 people residing in a Jewish community center dead in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The country has been haunted with the memory of its most severe act of terrorism to date, and once again, information has boiled to the surface and brought attention to international news outlets after esteemed prosecutor, Alberto Nisman, was found dead just days after accusing the Argentine president, Cristina Kirchner, of being responsible for the attack.

In 1994, a van packed with explosives detonated outside a Jewish community center, killing 85 and injuring about a hundred more. The attack came after only two years since a mass-casualty bombing at the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires.

In 2004, Alberto Nisman became the head prosecutor in the investigation of the AIMS bombing and was challenged with the job of cleaning up an inquiry of the situation that had been plagued by bribery and conspiracy. In 2006, he accused the Iranian government of ordering the attack after Argentina refused to share nuclear technology with the country. Five months later, Interpol issued arrest warrants for nine people believed to be involved in the attack, eight of whom were Iranian. No arrests were ever made.

Nisman then began accusing members of the Argentine government for involvement in the case including former President Carlos Menem for attempted obstruction of information and both he and the judge who led the investigation prior to 2004 were accused of corruption and have yet to stand trial.

In 2013, the current president, Cristina Kirchner, announced a joint investigation of the terrorist attack with the Iranian government. The idea was scrapped after many Jewish groups in Argentina grew angry over the alliance and the Argentine judiciary, including Nisman, deeming the effort unconstitutional.

On Jan. 14, 2015, Nisman finally accused President Kirchner of being involved herself in a movement to protect the Iranian government and those involved in the bombing. He alleges that Kirchner originally agreed to the deal with the Iranian government in 2013 in an effort to create stronger trade with Iran. Oil would be shipped directly to Argentina in exchange for grain.

Only five days after he announced his accusation he was found dead in his apartment with a gunshot wound to the head, the same morning he was set to testify his reasonings in front of the Argentine congress. Kirchner, on Jan. 20, was quick to announce on her Facebook that she believed it was suicide, before stepping back and claiming it was murder by rogue Argentine intelligence agents who were feeding him lies. The journalist who first broke the story of Nisman’s death has since fled the country after beginning to fear for his life when he discovered he was being followed.

It is still unsure who is the true leader behind the 1994 terrorist attack, but the clear corruption of Argentina’s government has left the question hanging. Will justice ever come for those involved in the attack, conspiracy, and Nisman’s murder?

Taiwan Plane Crash

A plane leaving Taiwan began takeoff Feb. 4. But then, before even leaving the city, it clipped into the side off a nearby bridge and crashed into the Keelung river. Fifty-eight passengers and crew members were aboard the flight, and only 15 of them survived.  TransAsia flight GE 235 crashed at 10:56 a.m. local time, which was approximately three minutes after the plane took off.

Dash-cam recordings on a nearby car caught the plane in its final tragic moments before crashing into the river. The recording shows the airplane swung sideways clipping a taxicab and the bridge with its left wing.

“Several fire engines, ambulances, watercraft and almost 170 rescue staff have been dispatched,” according to a press release by the Taiwanese Central Disaster Response Centre. Sadly, only 15 people survived the crash, leaving 40 confirmed dead and three still missing.

“Weather conditions were good and the pilot had 14,000 hours of flying hours and the co-pilot 4,000 hours,” Lin Zhiming, a representative from Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Authority, told reporters.

It is still unknown what caused the plane to crash. The plane’s black box has been retrieved, but people are still unsure what it was that cause the plane to crash. The Aviation Safety Council announced that three air-safety investigators from China had joined investigators from Taiwan, France, and Canada to help work out what it was that brought the plane down.

The majority of Trans Asia’s fleet remains grounded, as their pilots receive retraining and proficiency tests to ensure they are fit to fly the planes. Our hearts go out to the families who lost loved ones and the families who are still looking for them.