Was it simply Chechens attempting some sort of 9/11 outrage against the Russians, e.g. a Tu-154 flown into St. Basil's Cathedral? Or perhaps it as Al Qaeda attempting to collect a few airplanes and then fly them down to Athens for some evil against the Olympics (the timing would be about right)? The airplane trick worked so well before, no doubt Al Qaeda would like to give it another try. There are lots of two bit airlines in the Third World from which they could highjack aircraft. Then again, the pilots in a black african airline are probably armed and would fight like cornered rats against terrorists (although Russian pilots would do the same thing).

Gary