Pentagon: No Indication to Support Missile Strike Theory for Prigozhin Plane Crash

Flowers and military patches associated with the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 24 (Reuters)
Flowers and military patches associated with the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 24 (Reuters)
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Pentagon: No Indication to Support Missile Strike Theory for Prigozhin Plane Crash

Flowers and military patches associated with the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 24 (Reuters)
Flowers and military patches associated with the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 24 (Reuters)

The US Department of Defense on Thursday said it believes Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin was “likely” killed in a plane crash outside Moscow on Wednesday.

At the same time, it said there was currently no information to suggest that a surface-to-air missile took down the plane presumed to be carrying the Russian mercenary leader.

Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Thursday: “I’m not going to go into the specifics of how we gather information other than again, our initial assessment, based on a variety of factors, is that he was likely killed.”

He offered no evidence or further details on what US officials believe caused the crash, which Russian authorities said killed 10 people, including seven passengers and three crew members.

Ryder said: “We don't have any information to indicate right now there was some type of surface to air missile that took down the plane,” adding that the Pentagon assessed that information to be inaccurate.



South Korean Prosecutors Seek Drone Chief's Arrest over Operation in North

A South Korean flag covers a ceremonial guard member prior to the arrival of South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in at the White House in Washington, US, April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/Files
A South Korean flag covers a ceremonial guard member prior to the arrival of South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in at the White House in Washington, US, April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/Files
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South Korean Prosecutors Seek Drone Chief's Arrest over Operation in North

A South Korean flag covers a ceremonial guard member prior to the arrival of South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in at the White House in Washington, US, April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/Files
A South Korean flag covers a ceremonial guard member prior to the arrival of South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in at the White House in Washington, US, April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/Files

South Korean prosecutors said on Sunday they had sought court approval to detain the head of a military drone unit as part of an investigation into former President Yoon Suk Yeol and drone operations in neighboring North Korea.

Prosecutors stepped up a probe into the drone operation after indicting the jailed ex-President Yoon on Saturday on additional charges for his short-lived declaration of martial law in December.

They had summoned the unit's chief, Kim Yong-dae, on Thursday regarding accusations that Yoon ordered a covert drone operation into the North last year to inflame tension between the neighbors to justify his martial law decree, Reuters reported.

Yoon has denied the accusations.

Kim told reporters the incident was part of a "clandestine military operation" in response to trash balloons sent from the North and not intended to provoke the neighboring nation.

In October, North Korea said the South had sent drones to scatter anti-North Korea leaflets over Pyongyang, and published photos of the remains of a crashed South Korean military drone.

South Korea at the time declined to disclose whether it had sent the drones.

In a statement on Sunday, the prosecution office said it had sought an arrest warrant for Kim. Media said a court hearing is planned for Monday afternoon to review the request for a warrant.

He was arrested on Friday without a court warrant, media said. Prosecutors and police are permitted to make an "emergency arrest" if they have a strong belief someone is guilty of a serious crime and may flee or destroy evidence.