An Austin-based global intelligence company contends aircraft fuel may have been purposely contaminated to cause the Mexican government helicopter crash that killed a top cabinet member.
Interior Minister Jose Francisco Blake Mora, considered second in command in a country with no vice president, died as did all seven other people aboard the flight that went down last week outside Mexico City.
Fred Burton, vice president for intelligence at Stratfor, stressed to the Houston Chronicle that it is too soon to know for sure what caused the crash, and that faulty maintenance or bad weather could have played roles.
A company report published Wednesday claims that a confidential law-enforcement source in Mexico has said fuel contamination is among the leading concerns being checked out by investigators.
“It has been my experience that the facts will speak for themselves, if the investigators are allowed access to all of the data and the crime scene,” Burton said.
“Internal politics may come into play in this case due to the politics of the Mexican military aircraft carrying the interior minister, complicated by the fact that due to rampant corruption, trust in the Mexican government by the public is in short supply,” he continued.
Furthering conspiracy theories that run rampant in Mexico, the crash marked the second time that an aviation crash has taken the life of a member of President Felipe Calderón's cabinet. Reportedly, Calderon was to fly in the very same helicopter later that day, Burton said.
“If in fact that is true, that Calderón was slated to be on the helo that day, it does raise a lot of interesting questions and helps you focus your investigation in on certain things,” he said. “You'll want to rule out sabotage or foul play as soon as possible.”
The Mexican government did not have immediate comment on Stratfor's contention or the ongoing probe.
As part of the investigation, Mexico has asked for American help from the National Transportation Safety Board, which has had a team there since Saturday, said Keith Holloway, an NTSB spokesman.
Video of the crash site shows the helicopter broke into many pieces, but does not appear to have been extensively charred.
“With the helicopter going down in Mexico carrying the interior minister, it is easy to jump to conclusions and suspect foul play,” Burton said. “However, the investigator needs to keep an open mind and proceed methodically through the investigation.”
Juan Camilo Mourino, who held the same post as Blake Mora, died in a plane crash three years ago.
Ramon Martin Huerta, who was the top law enforcement officer under Calderón's predecessor, Vicente Fox, was killed in a helicopter crash in 2005.
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