Alas Chiricanas Flight 901, registered HP-1202AC, was an

Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante The Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante (English: ''pioneer'') is a Brazilian general purpose 15–21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft designed by Embraer for military and civil use. The EMB 110 was designed by the French engineer Max ...

aircraft flying en route from Colón city to

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...

which exploded shortly after departing

Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Enrique Adolfo Jiménez) is an international airport located in Colón, Panama, offering scheduled airline flights to Panama City, and to other destinations. The airport is just east of Colon's ha ...

, on the night of July 19, 1994. All 21 on board, including 12

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

s, were killed in the bombing. Both Panamanian and American authorities consider the bombing an unsolved crime and an act of

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

. The wreckage of the Bandeirante was strewn about the

Santa Rita Mountains The Santa Rita Mountains ( O'odham: To:wa Kuswo Doʼag), located about 65 km (40 mi) southeast of Tucson, Arizona, extend 42 km (26 mi) from north to south, then trending southeast. They merge again southeastwards into the Pat ...

near Colón. Panamanian investigators quickly determined that the explosion had been caused by a bomb, probably detonated by a

suicide bomber A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...

aboard the aircraft. Only one body was not claimed by relatives; this body is believed to be that of a man named Jamal Lya."Seeking Information" page
for

Jamal Lya Jamal ( ar, جمال ''/'') is an Arabic masculine given name, meaning "beauty",Jamal
at BehindTheName.com and a surna ...

from the U. S.

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

Officials suspected that the incident was an act of terrorism by Hezbollah directed against Jews in part because it took place one day after the

AMIA bombing The AMIA bombing occurred on 18 July 1994 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and targeted the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA; ), a Jewish Community Centre. Executed as a suicidal attack, a bomb-laden van was driven into the AMIA build ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, and due to an expression of support by "Ansar Allah", a Hezbollah affiliate in South America. In 2018, the President of Panama

Juan Carlos Varela Juan Carlos Varela Rodríguez (; born 13 December 1963) is a Panamanian businessman and former politician who served as the President of Panama from 2014 to 2019. Varela was Vice President of Panama from 2009 to 2014, and Minister of Foreign ...

said "recent evidence" and intelligence reports "clearly show it was a terrorist attack," and that he would ask local and international authorities to reopen the investigation. The

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

have in its investigations identified the perpetrator to have been a passenger named Ali Hawa Jamal.

References

External links

Acquittals in Argentine terror case cast a shadow across Panama

Eric Jackson Eric Jackson may refer to: *Eric Jackson (journalist) (born 1952), Panamanian politician, journalist, and radio talk show host *Eric Jackson (kayaker) (born 1964), freestyle kayaker, kayak designer, and founder of Jackson Kayak * Eric M. Jackson, ...

, Panama News Online, 17 October 2001.
"Seeking Information" page
for

Jamal Lya Jamal ( ar, جمال ''/'') is an Arabic masculine given name, meaning "beauty",Jamal
at BehindTheName.com and a surna ...

from the U. S.

* {{coord missing, Panama 1994 in Panama Accidents and incidents involving the Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante 00901 Antisemitic attacks and incidents Aviation accidents and incidents in 1994 Aviation accidents and incidents in Panama Hezbollah attacks Islamic terrorist incidents in 1994 July 1994 crimes July 1994 events in North America Mass murder in 1994 Terrorist incidents in North America in 1994 Terrorist incidents in Panama Suicide bombings in North America Unsolved airliner bombings

See also

References

External links