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| -Lurid Crime Tales- | |
| Continuation of that Sea-Tac NWest flight with bomb threat | |
| 2007-07-27 | |
| This guy just might be a candidate for a Darwin Award SEATTLE — A doctor who had missed his flight called police three times to tell operators there was a bomb aboard the plane, forcing its return to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, federal prosecutors said. Kou Wei Chiu, 31, of Bellevue, Tennessee, made an initial court appearance Thursday afternoon, where he was charged with making a false threat against an aircraft. A detention hearing was set for Friday. According to an FBI affidavit filed in support of the complaint, Chiu admitted that he used a payphone at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to call emergency services number 911 three times after he arrived at the gate too late to board his Northwest Airlines flight Wednesday. "Flight 980 Memphis. There may be a bomb on board," Chiu was quoted as telling the emergency operator. "After his first phone call, he looked outside at the plane and saw that his call had had 'no effect,"' FBI agent Gary France wrote. "He made a second phone call and noticed that this call too had no effect. This led to the third call. "Chiu stated that he made the calls thinking that the airline 'would ground the plane for a couple of hours,' because bomb threats are taken seriously. When asked how he thought other passengers might react when they overheard his calls, he conceded that he thought 'they would be traumatized,"' the affidavit said. Chiu also told investigators that he had been off his antidepressant medication in recent days, France wrote. His lawyer said Thursday that Chiu is eager to return to his family.
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| Posted by:Sherry |
| #9 Unfortunately ed, Homeland Insecurity doesn't deport criminial aliens (resident or illegal) - they let them stay to murder and rape our children... Its called Diversity This arrogant M-F should be imprisoned for several years. But he'll probably get off with a wrist-slap. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2007-07-27 19:31 |
| #8 A few more details here. Chiu graduated from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 2003 and works at the Spanish-speaking medical practice of Medicos Para La Familia. He told airport police he was on anti-depressant medication and had been without it for a few days, although he said he did take the medication on the day of his flight. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-07-27 15:35 |
| #7 Wonder if he's done with all his immigration paperwork? Otherwise he gets one more flight courtesy of the US taxpayer. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-07-27 12:42 |
| #6 tu: "Chiu also told investigators that he had been off his antidepressant medication in recent days, France wrote." he later admitted to taking his medicine; so i count at least 3 lies in his story (medicine, luggage, check in status).......this has more to it than meets the eye; lots more to it. |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2007-07-27 12:20 |
| #5 What is it with these doctors? Is it really that stressful? And, I've got a suggestion. Tell his story far and wide in Tennessee (his home state), then release him in the hill-country there. Things will take care of themselves, I promise. |
| Posted by: BA 2007-07-27 12:05 |
| #4 I agree there is probably more to this and may be part of the sleeper cell plan. Northwest has a major hub in Muslim Minneapolis, with cabbies and airport workers filing lawsuits for footbaths and refusing to carry passengers with alcohol. |
| Posted by: Danielle 2007-07-27 11:56 |
| #3 "After his first phone call, he looked outside at the plane and saw that his call had had 'no effect,"' FBI agent Gary France wrote. "He made a second phone call and noticed that this call too had no effect. This led to the third call. Am I on Candid Camera? Chiu also told investigators that he had been off his antidepressant medication in recent days, France wrote. Ah, there it is. I may go on antidepressant medication just so when I screw something up I can say I was off it. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-07-27 11:36 |
| #2 "His lawyer said Thursday that Chiu is eager to return to his family" His return may be delayed for several years due to a multiyear detour to a federal prison. |
| Posted by: Rambler 2007-07-27 11:20 |
| #1 Wonder if there is more to this than homesickness? First we have (another) highly educated individual, next we have the story about no luggage which later changes to yes i checked luggage but in another's name and yes i checked in for the flight. right afte 9/11 the rule was that if you weren't on the plane, your luggage got taken off. seems that that rule is either ignored or rescinded. i suspect there is more to this; perhaps round two of testing. the northwest was the one part of the country missing from the earlier round of cheese and cell phone tests. wonder if they made it through Sea-Tac security? |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2007-07-27 11:19 |