A new theory has emerged that says the mysterious disappearance of Air France Flight 447, points to a possible terrorist attack against the aircraft by religious zealots. The theory has been put forward by Douglas Woodwell, assistant professor of international relations at University of Indianapolis in the US.

Aviation authorities have said another Air France flight from Buenos Aires to Paris was grounded temporarily on May 27 because of a telephoned bomb threat.

The circumstantial evidence for terrorism includes a history of Islamic extremism in and around Brazil, where the flight originated, as well as the recent opening of a French military base on the Arabian Peninsula, according to Woodwell.

"During the past week, the French government announced the landmark opening of a military base in Abu Dhabi, the first permanent overseas military base the French have opened since they decolonized in the early 1960s," he said.

"The fact that the United States had stationed troops on the Arabian Peninsula during and after the Gulf War was probably the most important concrete factor motivating Al Qaeda in its subsequent attacks on the United States, including 9/11. The French basing agreement was announced on January 15, which is sufficient time for Al Qaeda sympathizers to organize a response," he added.

According to Woodwell, the so-called Tri-border region where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet is home to a large Muslim population with a history of militancy.

"Terrorists from this area are believed to have launched attacks against the Israeli Embassy and a Jewish community center in Argentina in the early '90s, killing hundreds of people," he said. Radical groups recruiting amid this often-alienated Muslim diaspora would have no problem finding young men or women willing to bring down an airliner," he added.