Investigators are asking families of victims killed in the explosion of TWA Flight 800 whether they recognize a tan, canvas bag found amid the wreckage that has not been linked to anyone on board.
An FBI official said Saturday the agency does not believe the bag contained a bomb, but it is trying to identify the owner to better pinpoint the location of the explosion.The duffel bag with an orange leather shoulder strap was tested for chemical traces of a bomb, and the results were negative, said a source close to the investigation who wished to remain anonymous.
The unmarked bag apparently was near the center of the blast in the passenger cabin. Family members were shown photographs of the torn-apart bag by FBI agents who began interviewing relatives across the country last week.
"It was pretty blown up. They wanted to know if it belonged to my daughter or if she perhaps borrowed it from someone," said Aurelie Becker of St. Petersburg, Fla., who lost her 19-year-old daughter Michele in the crash.
"I told them my wife wouldn't carry something like that. It was really ugly," said Leonard Romagna, of Sun City, Fla., whose wife, Barbara, was killed.
The Paris-bound jet blew up after taking off from New York's Kennedy Airport and then plunged into the ocean off the Long Island coast. Investigators still have not determined whether the explosion was caused by a bomb, missile or mechanical malfunction.
FBI spokesman Joseph Valiquette emphasized Saturday that agents were instructed to tell the families "that it is not the FBI's position that this bag contained any explosive device.
"We are showing the photographs because we are trying to determine the exact location of the bag within the passenger compartment so that we can pinpoint the explosion," he said.
Agents also asked families whether they recognized a name found on another piece of luggage that does not match any of the 230 people who were killed.
Becker, who puts out a newsletter for victims' families, said she couldn't remember the man's foreign-sounding name and that it was not on her list of all the families and their extended relatives.
Investigators also are looking at several possible motives in addition to terrorism, including insurance fraud, a spurned lover, or even suicide, the families said.
Becker said they asked whether anyone would have wanted to harm her daughter. "They wanted to know if she had a jilted boyfriend," she said, adding her daughter did not.