Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1062629
NEWS 5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 DECEMBER 2018 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Sources who spoke to MaltaToday said that the plane that crashed in Safi in 2016 was not the only active French spy plane, and that at least one more is active and used Mal- ta as a temporary base up until last Novem- ber at least. A Swearingen Fair- child Merlin – the same exact type of aircraft that was con- sumed in the 2016 tragedy – was landing in Malta and flying over Libya at regular intervals. Just like the plane that crashed in Safi, the French-operated Swearingen is a US- registered aircraft. But a former French intelligence agent spe- cialised in aircraft in- telligence, who spoke to MaltaToday, said there were two rea- sons for the US regis- tration. "France is stricter than the United States as to what kind of technology can be implemented on an aircraft. The second reason is that had the aircraft been reg- istered in France, it would be prohibited from using American technology," he said. This technology is surveillance equip- ment that allows the Swearingen to spy on ground movements in Libya. The Swearingen Fairchild Merlin, with registration number N919CK – owned by L u x e m b o u r g - b a s e d CAE Aviation – was indeed photographed at the Malta Interna- tional Airport back in 2016, its photo up- loaded on an air-spot- ting website by ama- teur spotters. CAE has already been identi- fied as a contractor of the DGSE, which reg- istered the same plane that crashed in Malta. This is the same plane that others sources have told Mal- taToday is actually carrying out a surveil- lance mission over Libya. This means that, es- sentially, two planes were spying on the movement of French weapons in Libya, us- ing Malta as an air- base – one of which crashed, the other is still out there now. What we know so far • A Swearingen Fairchild Merlin crashed on 24 October 2016 in Safi • A source close to the Maltese investigation said this was a French spy plane carrying out surveillance of the movements of French armaments in Libya • The Maltese Prime Minister insisted it had been a French Customs operation • The aircraft was supplied with two black boxes but these went missing when French investigators came to Malta • French secret agents used a home in Balzan to review eagle-eye footage they received directly from the aircraft • The deceased were all members of the DGSE and their names were revealed by MaltaToday in November • When confronted with this new information, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat played it down and said that the aircraft was monitoring contraband and human trafficking and found no issue with other forms of surveillance • Ex-foreign minister George Vella, who was the foreign minister at the time of the crash, however, said that had he known of what the aircraft was doing, the Maltese government would not have allowed it Both the French ministry of foreign affairs and the Maltese ministry of home affairs could not be reached for comment by this newspaper. Brigitte Curmi, French Ambas- sador to Libya between 2016 and August 2018 and current French Ambassador to Malta, did not accede to a meeting with Malta- Today. This newspaper is also in- formed that the families of the men who died in the 2016 crash, were taking the DGSE to court. "It's very rare that this happens," a French journalist who has met the relatives told MaltaToday. "But the reason why, they tell me, is that the plane they were on was in production between 1965 and 1998. It's a fairly old aircraft that is subject to a few operational errors." dhudson@mediatoday.com.mt The Swearingen Fairchild Merlin (top) with registration number N577MX that crashed in Safi in 2016 is the same kind of aircraft as the Swearingen Fairchild (bottom) with registration number N919CK that was photographed in Malta International Airport back in 2016 Relatives of spies killed in 2016 air crash to sue French secret service Spy house: Investigators visited this house in Balzan where the DGSE spies killed on the French plane in 2016 used to review eagle-eye footage they received directly from the aircraft of movements of French armaments in Libya