Conflicting US intel reports suggest Wagner chief death was no accident

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death was not an accident, according to US intelligence reports leaked on Thursday, but the exact cause is still under review.

US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that they believed a surface-to-air missile launched from inside Russia targeted the Russian mercenary leader’s private jet.

Although the officials said the reports were preliminary and still under review, separate US officials told the Wall Street Journal that their reports indicated a bomb was placed inside the plane or a different form of sabotage led to the crash. These officials ruled out a surface-to-air missile strike.

The New York Times, citing US and other Western officials, also reported preliminary intel pointing to an explosion on board the plane. But these officials said they could not confirm Prigozhin’s death yet.

Al Arabiya English could not independently verify report, and it has reached out to the State Department and the Pentagon for comment.

US President Joe Biden suggested that Russia’s Vladimir Putin could have been behind the plane crash that reportedly killed Prigozhin.

Prigozhin, who was at one point a close confidante of Putin, had appeared in a video earlier in the week from Africa. After a failed mutiny against the Russian army in June, Prigozhin fled the country.

US officials said Wednesday that they would not be surprised if reports of Prigozhin’s death were accurate. Wagner-affiliated media claimed that the Russian Defense Ministry shot down the private jet.

“We have seen the reports. If confirmed, no one should be surprised,” a White House National Security Council spokeswoman said.