Nearly 30 years after the tragic crash of TWA Flight 800, newly released FBI documents have reignited one of aviation’s most controversial mysteries.

On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747 en route from New York to Paris, exploded just minutes after takeoff over the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island, killing all 230 passengers and crew on board. The disaster remains one of the deadliest aviation accidents in U.S. history.

Now, documents obtained by Judicial Watch reveal that an Egyptian terrorist organization allegedly contacted the FBI just days after the crash, claiming responsibility for destroying the aircraft. According to the newly disclosed records, faxes sent from Cairo claimed the group had brought down the jet, raising fresh questions about whether those claims were fully investigated.

The revelations are featured in a new documentary, where Judicial Watch investigators argue that the official explanation does not fully account for all the evidence. Another internal FBI memorandum from 1997 reportedly stated that, despite “an abundance of circumstantial evidence” suggesting the aircraft may have been struck by a missile fired from a maritime platform, the exact cause of the explosion remained unknown. The memo has sparked renewed speculation about the possibility of an external explosion.

The documentary also includes claims from physicist Dr. Tom Stalcup, who alleges that portions of the recovered wreckage were altered to conceal evidence of external damage. However, these allegations have not been substantiated by official investigators.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues to stand by its long-established conclusion that the aircraft was destroyed by an explosion in its center wing fuel tank, most likely caused by an electrical short circuit. The FBI also closed its criminal investigation in 1997, stating it found no evidence that terrorism or any criminal act was responsible for the tragedy.

Following the documentary’s release, Judicial Watch has filed a federal lawsuit seeking the release of additional classified records, arguing that more government documents could provide new insight into what really happened that summer evening.

Nearly three decades later, the loss of 230 lives is still deeply felt, and the renewed release of documents ensures that the debate over the true cause of TWA Flight 800 remains far from over.