Lithuania: German Foreign Minister says plane crash could be hybrid attack

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Authorities are continuing their investigation after a Boeing 737 cargo plane crashed into a house near Vilnius Airport, Lithuania, on Monday morning.

The DHL cargo plane operated by Swiftair, arriving from Leipzig in Germany, crashed while approaching the Lithuanian capital's airport. A Spanish crew member was killed, and three others on board were taken to hospital, with one in critical condition. No one on the ground was reported injured.

Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Italy, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock raised the question of whether the plane crash was a “hybrid attack“.

“We must say at this point that we and our Lithuanian partners must seriously ask ourselves whether this is an accident or, after last week, a new hybrid incident. This shows the instability in which we live in the middle of Europe”she said.

Lithuanian officials said one line of inquiry would be to examine Russian involvement, while stressing that no evidence exists yet.

Last month, Western security officials warned that Russian military intelligence could carry out sabotage actions against countries in retaliation for their support of Ukraine.

Darius Jauniškis, head of Lithuanian intelligence, echoed these concerns and said terrorism could not be ruled out: “The Department of State Security and the Department of Operational Services have warned that such things are possible in the future. We see Russia becoming more aggressive.”

Iadded that for now, “we really can't attribute or point fingers at anyone because we don't have any information about it.”

Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas said: “From the information I have now, I can say that there are no facts confirming that this is some kind of sabotage or terrorist incident. But the investigation will answer all questions.”

Lithuanian Police Commissioner General Arūnas Paulauskas chose not to speculate and said the cause of the crash could be the result of a technical failure or human error. “But we are not aviation experts to discuss this issue in detail”he added.

Paulauskas confirmed that investigators had gone to the hospital and would speak with plane police and other aviation officials as soon as they had the opportunity.

“As far as I know, investigators have gone to the hospital. If they have the opportunity, they will contact the pilots of the plane to determine the initial causes, as well as those responsible for the civil aviation.”

Experts say communication with air traffic controller seemed 'normal'

Several aviation experts who spoke to local media said they did not notice anything unusual when they listened to the communication between the crew and the air traffic controller (ATC) that was shared online.

Aviation expert Vidas Kaupelis said there appeared to be a “routine communication between air traffic controller and pilot”.

“They did not declare an emergency situation, they did not talk about technical failures or fires”added the expert.

Laurynas Naujokaitis, head of the justice ministry's air accident and incident investigation department, said investigators from Germany and Spain would arrive in Lithuania to help local authorities with the investigation.

“We currently have a response indicating that a German safety investigation body will send four investigators and a Spanish safety investigation body will send two”he declared. “We continue to collect information on technical maintenance, meteorology, navigation and qualifications.”