Video Reveals How CIA Sicced Bombers on US Missionary, Baby

CIA accused of covering up involvement in deaths
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 5, 2010 3:38 AM CST

Video footage just obtained by ABC News shows how CIA errors caused the deaths of an American missionary and her 7-month-old daughter when their plane was shot down over Peru in 2001. CIA spotters wrongly identified the missionary family's Cessna as a drug traffickers' plane and alerted the Peruvian air force. The operatives can be heard on the video expressing their doubts but they failed to stop the attack before Veronica Bowers and her daughter were shot down by Peruvians who mistakenly thought they were "banditos."

"I think we're making a mistake," one CIA operative says. "I agree with you," another responds. They did not attempt to identify the plane by its tail number for fear of being spotted. The CIA is accused of trying to cover up the incident, ABC reports. "If there's ever an example of justice delayed, justice denied, this is it," said Republican Rep. Pete Hoekstra. "These were Americans that were killed with the help of their government, the community covered it up, they delayed investigating." (More Veronica Bowers stories.)

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