Eiffel Tower May Have Been Target of Spain's ISIS Cell

A French soldier patrols near the Eiffel Tower on January 10, 2015. ERIC GAILLARD/REUTERS
A French soldier patrols near the Eiffel Tower on January 10, 2015. ERIC GAILLARD/REUTERS
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Eiffel Tower May Have Been Target of Spain's ISIS Cell

A French soldier patrols near the Eiffel Tower on January 10, 2015. ERIC GAILLARD/REUTERS
A French soldier patrols near the Eiffel Tower on January 10, 2015. ERIC GAILLARD/REUTERS

The French capital’s Eiffel Tower may have been among the targets of the ISIS cell that carried out a deadly terrorist attack in Barcelona in the summer, a new report said.

The protective wall that surrounds the monument was installed after video of a trip to Paris was found in a destroyed hideout, according to the report by researchers Fernando Reinares and Carola Garcia-Calvo in January's CTC Sentinel, a research publication into terrorism.

The cell attacked Barcelona's La Rambla and Cambrils, a beachside town, killing 16 people in August at the height of the season and in one of Europe's top tourist destinations.

Only flawed bomb construction prevented a deadlier attack. Their hideout blew up as they were assembling explosives.

According to the report, based on interviews with investigators and court documents, members of the cell traveled to Paris before the attack, for reasons investigators have yet to determine. There, they bought a camera and filmed the Eiffel Tower.

French authorities began installing in September a bulletproof glass wall around the Eiffel Tower’s gardens under the 30-million-euro ($36-million), nine-month works.

Visited by six to seven million people each year, the landmark already has a permanent police patrol.



Russian Plane Crashes in Russia's Far East, Nearly 50 People on Board Feared Dead

FILE PHOTO: An An-24 aircraft of Angara Airlines lands at the airport of Irkutsk, Russia April 13, 2014. REUTERS/Marina Lystseva/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An An-24 aircraft of Angara Airlines lands at the airport of Irkutsk, Russia April 13, 2014. REUTERS/Marina Lystseva/File Photo
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Russian Plane Crashes in Russia's Far East, Nearly 50 People on Board Feared Dead

FILE PHOTO: An An-24 aircraft of Angara Airlines lands at the airport of Irkutsk, Russia April 13, 2014. REUTERS/Marina Lystseva/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An An-24 aircraft of Angara Airlines lands at the airport of Irkutsk, Russia April 13, 2014. REUTERS/Marina Lystseva/File Photo

An Antonov An-24 passenger plane carrying about 50 people crashed in Russia's far east on Thursday and initial information suggested that everyone on board was killed, Russian emergency services officials said.
The burning fuselage of the plane, which was from the Soviet era and was nearly 50 years old, was spotted on the ground by a helicopter and rescue crews were rushing to the scene.
Unverified video, shot from a helicopter and posted on social media, appeared to show that the plane had come down in a densely forested area.
The plane, whose tail number showed it was built in 1976, was operated by a Siberia-based airline called Angara.
It was en route from the city of Blagoveshchensk to Tynda and dropped off radar screens while approaching Tynda, a remote town in the Amur region bordering China.
There were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members on board according to preliminary data, Vasily Orlov, the regional governor said.
The emergencies ministry put the number of people on board somewhat lower, at around 40.
Debris from the plane was found on a hill around 15 km (10 miles) from Tynda, the Interfax news agency quoted emergency service officials as saying.
"During the search operation, a Mi-8 helicopter belonging to Rossaviatsiya discovered the fuselage of the aircraft, which was on fire," Yuliya Petina, an emergency services official, wrote on Telegram.
"Rescuers continue to make their way to the scene of the accident".
Authorities announced an investigation into the crash.