"F4 downed by Syrian missile" says prosecutor

A Turkish warplane that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on June 22 was shot down by a Syrian air defense missile that did not directly hit the plane, the Turkish Chief of General Staff Military Prosecutor's Office said yesterday. According to an official report, radar data obtained from the plane's computer indicated that the plane had received a signal from a missile although Syrian authorities have long insisted that they shot down the plane within Syrian air space with anti-aircraft guns as the plane flew at an altitude of 100 meters. But the military prosecutor's report said that even though there were no indication that a missile impacted the plane, the plane's remains carried traces of a material found in missiles. The report added there was no damage to the plane that might have been caused by fire from an anti-aircraft gun, as Syrian authorities have suggested.