Thirty-Three Arrested In Probe Of 737-200 Crash

As the NTSB and local agencies continue to investigate the crash of a Bellview Boeing 737-200 in Nigeria Saturday, 33 people have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in a terror plot to sabotage the plane.

Those arrested reportedly worked for Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Nigerian Aviation Ministry.

Obasanjo, who spoke during a memorial service at the crash site in the town of Lissa, lost his wife, Stella in the tragedy. She was among 117 people Aero-News reported died when the 737 went down.

Just one day after the crash, a group calling itself Coalition for Militant Action in the Niger Delta (COMA) claimed responsibility for blowing up the flight just after it took off from Lagos. Witnesses said the plane exploded during a thunderstorm. Witnesses said they thought the aircraft had exploded -- as if a bomb had blown up on board.

"We wont leave any stone unturned in waging this war too. If there are terrorism claims about the crash, it behooves on us to investigate to establish if these rumors are true or not," Police Inspector General Sunday Ehindero said. He was quoted by AllAfrica.com.

FMI: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellview_Airlines