Sanctus – First Officer Maria Cummings, who incapacitated her captain, Trevor Smith, and purposely downed the extradition flight of Jasmine Eddington was a member of the far-right Sanctarian People’s Party and “a fascist xenophobe”, Secretary for Homeland Security Kathryn Stewart announced today, confirming that the plane carrying Cummings, Eddington, and four other Sanctarians was intentionally crashed by its first officer.
“Investigation of Cummings’ home, correspondence, and social media confirm that the individual was a fascist xenophobe who was opposed to Sanctaria taking in what she considered to be ‘a foreign criminal'”, Stewart said today. “The evidence suggests that Cummings acted alone and took advantage of spur of the moment opportunities to make a political statement and attempt to martyrise herself in the process. We will not allow that to happen”.
Speaking to the press, Stewart detailed that, as far as their investigation indicated, Cummings’ pre-meditation was “barely formed” and that she only found out the purpose of their flight just before leaving Cristi International Airport to pick up Eddington in Lauchenoiria, when officers from the Sanctarian Federal Prison Service boarded the flight. According to Stewart, “Cummings seemingly took advantage of every opportunity afforded to her in those few hours. She knew her co-pilot, Captain Trevor Smith, had a serious nut allergy, and she used that information to incapacitate and/or kill him, before intentionally downing the plane”.
The actions of Cummings will raise serious questions about the vetting process for pilots in general, but more specifically about how those engaged by the Sanctarian government are vetted. In addition, Stewart said though the far-right Sanctarian People’s Party would “not be outlawed in a democratic Sanctaria”, that it was fast becoming a breeding ground for violence and radicalised homegrown terrorists was a “serious cause for concern going forward”.
Stewart once again apologised to the governments of Lauchenoiria, and Kerlile, for failing to protect the prisoner, and to the families of the Sanctarians who were killed when the plane crashed. She said her department would be liaising with the Department of Infrastructure to ensure pilot background checks were more thorough and “weeded out” potential radicalised individuals.
BRIAN DeNOBLE, Defence & Security Correspondent
