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2004-07-15 Home Front: WoT

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Posted by James 2004-07-15 13:53|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 That's a pretty disturbing story. I recall that James Woods, the actor, reported to the FBI that he was on a transcontinental flight shortly before 9/11 and observed some odd behaviour by Arab men, and I think he even identified 1 or 2 of the men as members of the 19.

Posted by Tibor 2004-07-15 3:16:32 PM|| 2004-07-15 3:16:32 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 OK... I'm ready to consider not riding on a plane if groups of un-accompanied middle-eastern guys are on the same flight.

Disturbing is not strong enough words for this article.

Posted by Leigh 2004-07-15 4:02:46 PM|| 2004-07-15 4:02:46 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 Question. Why is it exactly that there is no second check in Detroitistan???

Posted by peggy 2004-07-15 4:35:39 PM|| 2004-07-15 4:35:39 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 How can it be that Detroit is not MORE closely watched than any other airport?

Posted by peggy 2004-07-15 4:37:18 PM|| 2004-07-15 4:37:18 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 It is a scary article but I don't make much of it. If I was AL Queda I wouldn't do dry runs for a bomb deal, they didn't with the shoe bomber after all. If you get the parts aboard, and you assemble them, you use them.

On the other hand, if you wanted to spread terror, you might want to get a group onto a plane and have them act suspiciously. Let the word get out and the terror spread. You don't have to do anything and you haven't done anything illegal. You also force the yanks to put a bunch of Air Marshalls and whomever onto the flight to watch you. If that was the case you would want to use passports that would attract maximum attention. Perhaps Iran or Syria.

If I was Al Queda I'd set up lots of false alarms like this to waste American resources and spread terror with minimal effort. Then I'd attempt to load dozens, nay hundreds, of bomb laden suitcases onto planes around the US on the same day. I'd also consider setting a few to explode when tampered with. I'd do it through the checkin bags. Certain airports are sloppier than others and a few might get through. Those that don't get through will create terror when they are reported on the media. That would be a lot better than trying to get Al Queda's normal moronic thugs to assemble something mid flight.

Anyway, what are the chances these guys were praying to Mecca in the small area near the bathrooms? Your gonna have mecca time somewhere during your 4.5 hour flight.

Posted by Yank 2004-07-15 4:47:22 PM|| [politicaljunky.blogspot.com] 2004-07-15 4:47:22 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 peggy - Re #3 & #4 - Because that would be profiling. Better that 200-300 people go down than to offend, of course.

Posted by .com 2004-07-15 4:56:09 PM|| 2004-07-15 4:56:09 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 I share some of your scepticism, Yank, but IIRC, Shoebomber Reid flew all over the shop for weeks or months before actually getting caught. I think some of his flights were effectively dry runs. One of the shocks about that incident was the fact that mad-eyed, mad-bearded, mad-man Reid had travelled so extensively, especially as he had raised suspicions on previous flights. El Al had refused him transit on one of theirs.

Re. this artice: why, if there were Air Marshals on the flight, and if everyone was sure something dodgy was going on, did they not make any moves? That doesn't sound likely to me...

Posted by Bulldog 2004-07-15 5:02:07 PM|| 2004-07-15 5:02:07 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Has anyone considered the fact that this might have been an actual attempt that was aborted -- recall the part about the guy coming out of the lav, touching his throat and saying "no"? TSA might have not told the true story (found a partially assembled bomb on an airliner) out of embarrassment or for other reasons.

One final thought, would al Qaeda really off 14 guys in one "martyrdom" operation? It seems unlikely. But then again, maybe the bomb, if any, was not meant to go off until a later flight (by which time these cats were out of custody).

Posted by Tibor 2004-07-15 5:29:54 PM|| 2004-07-15 5:29:54 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 On the same day (29th June 2004), there was an incident on a Turkish plane, where a wallet filled with explosive injured three cleaners.

Coincidence?

Posted by Lux 2004-07-15 5:32:02 PM|| 2004-07-15 5:32:02 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 Regarding the 14 guys. If you were going to try a Sept 11 type attack you would want a lot of thugs to take over and protect the cockpit. If you were going to blow the plane up you wouldn't need 14 guys unless your bomb ws in 14 parts or some were distractions. Sounds like everything happened in the bathroom so distractions isn't a very likely idea.

Posted by Yank 2004-07-15 6:23:52 PM|| [http://politicaljunky.blogspot.com] 2004-07-15 6:23:52 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 There's also this story from Eyewitness News about the arrest of a Syrian man on a flight who was found with a suicide note, and connections to a known terrorist.http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S1124.html?cat=1

Posted by jawa 2004-07-15 9:04:24 PM|| 2004-07-15 9:04:24 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 If you were going to try a Sept 11 type attack you would want a lot of thugs to take over and protect the cockpit. If you were going to blow the plane up you wouldn't need 14 guys unless your bomb ws in 14 parts or some were distractions.

Perhaps the plan was to smuggle on a disassembled bomb just large enough to blow open the cockpit door in order to facilitate a 9/11 style attack. That would certainly explain 14 persons and assembling it in the front restroom. Once assembled, one brave jihadi could hold it against the cockpit door and press the button. Not much to be done about that.

Posted by AzCat 2004-07-15 11:29:52 PM|| 2004-07-15 11:29:52 PM|| Front Page Top

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