The crude explosive material detected in the cargo hold of a Kingfisher flight on Sunday was not of high density but could have exploded during the flight due to air pressure, the police said on Monday. According to a first information report, based on forensic analysis of the material, the material was a mixture of potassium chlorite, ammonia and sulphur.
Though it could not go off on its own, the possibility of it bursting due to air pressure during the flight could not be ruled out, the FIR, to be filed shortly in the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, stated. A team led by city Police Commissioner M R Ajaya Kumar, returned to Thiruvananthapuram today after preliminary investigations at Bengaluru airport, from where the flight originated.
All employees who were engaged in connection with the flight have been questioned and close circuit TV footages at the airport were scanned by the team. Though the investigators are yet to find out from where the explosive was planted, the incident might have been a trial run by some militant outfits, police sources said.
The ground-handling staff at the Thiruvanthapuram airport were also questioned. The Bangalore police, the civil aviation separtment and central intelligence agencies were also involved in the probe in view of the seriousness of the case.
The probe will be looking into all aspects of the case, such as how and where the material got into the aircraft and from where the substances were purchased, said the police.
