arab bombers on rhode isLand fLight?

[sniffa]

i just heard a rumor (rumor since i haven't seen anything here or on the news) about a group of arab men on a pLane in rhode isLand, who were buiLding a bomb in the bathroom (and were stopped).

wouLdn't this be aLL over the news if true? or at Least speciaL report with brit hume?

[Nevernose]

1. Is there a prob w/ your "L" button?

No offense, I was just wondering...

[stellanoir]

2. HEY. . .stop picking on us 'cause we're dinky

we're still deep blue. . .

but oddly enough there was a story here about two Turks who went AWOL and had abandoned their boat in the bay. No follow up whatsoever. Too weird.

Knew some really cool turks in school but still is one of those things that makes you go hmmmmmmm.

[markus]

3. Story on WomensWallStJournal

I don't know what Women's Wall Street Journal is, but the long, first-hard story by a reporter for this outfit was posted there.

I found it via an off topic link on another board I frequent.

Suffice to say that the author quotes Ann the Man Coulter. 'Nuf said about her credibility.

The gist of it was this: Bunch of arab and arab-looking men act funny on an airplane. This is somehow tied into alleged threat that bombs will be assembled on airplanes.

Author claims that her flight was some sort of trial run, and reports how all these guys were hauled off by the feds, cops, etc.

It all sounds very intereesting and compelling. And is probably lot of planted hooey or Ann Coulterish "punish the darkies" nonsense

[markus]

4. The Link (sorry WSJ, it was WomensWallStreet)

what ever that is.

http://womenswallstreet.com/WWS/article_landing.aspx?titleid=1&articleid=71

[sniffa]

9. doh - nuffin on the page

but i've aLready heard the story now through 12th hand gossip mongers (my reactionary, newLy racist inLaws).

[Yupster]

5. I read the story

I thought the reporter took off from Rhode Island, but it was the plane from Detroit where the funny stuff happened. Could be wrong though.

Also, according to the story, they were not stopped.

The suspicious behavior was that a group of men (14 I think) went to the bathroom in order, while others stood near the bathroom keeping others away. While each went to the bathroom, they took a bag which in some cases looked empty when they returned to their seats.

The pilots were worried, and in contact with the authorities on the ground, the stewardesses were worried, and asked passengers to write down descriptions, and at least one woman started to cry. There were supposedly also air marshalls on the flight, who were ready to act, which to me meant there was suspicion before they took off.

But, here's the key point...

Nothing was done to stop them.

If they had been building a bomb, they would have been successful. They didn't even shut the bathroom.

I understand the skymarshall's not acting as they don't want to give themselves away, but it seems like at a minimum, the captain should be able to order everyone to their seats and check the bathrooms.

It was a worrying article to me.

[politicat]

6. Did the set up a chem lab in the head?? I'm impressed!!

Since bombs require some sort of explosive, and explosives are forbidden on planes (including things like oil paints....) they would have had to have had explosives precursors, which are ALSO generally forbidden, being volatile in general, so they'd have to have explosives precursor precursors.... and that means a chem lab.

Since even changing a shirt in the head is difficult, that would likely result in a mess.

Bizarre.

Pcat.

[Yupster]

7. The thinking was

that people may bring in small components of bombs in everyday items like cameras, and then assemble them into a bomb in flight.

This reporter said she later found there was an article months before in a British newspaper detailing the rumors of such entitled, "Terrorist bid to build bombs in mid-flight: Intelligence reveals dry runs of new threats to blow up airliners."

My concern is that the people on the plane all noticed such suspicious activity, but made no effort to stop it, other than notifying authorities on the ground.

That just doesn't seem acceptable in today's world.

[politicat]

8. At DIA, RDU, Tampa and Milwaukee they have limited sniffers at security.

I know because I get my handbag swiped every time I go because I smoke an occasional clove cigarette, and the clove oil is similar enough by gas spectrometer (according to my organic chemist friend) to the residue from c-4 that they have to check it.

I know that most explosives (thanks, darling, my former Army munitions expert husband) off-gas so the potential for someone to smuggle aboard a chunk of explosive is difficult at any major airport. (I've not been to Detroit in the past 3 years.) And at least at DIA, a worker has to go through security that's tighter than that for passengers every day and at each in and out.

I think that diamond/other small negotiable trading is far more likely a pastime in the head... and diamonds are not illegal.

Besides, who needs bombs? They're letting enough weapons on as it is... at least, if you think in a defense mode. Mr. Politicat and I are expecting to have to check our laptop power cords at some point.

Pcat

[markus]

10. The compliant in the article was this

That they were not search again at boarding, although they were supposedly in the secure area.

One of them had a McDonalds bag! That wasn't searched by security!

That sort of thing.

I think the whole thing is pure paranoia on this lady's part, and her stated sympathy for Ann Coulter's "search the darkies" worldview should just about sum up the worth of this report.

[Yupster]

11. Well, forget this example then

My concern is ...

What should happen if there is suspicious behavior going on in an airplane.

For instance, nine young men go to the back of an aircraft, move people out of their seats, and hold up blankets so you can't see what's going on back there?

Or seven guys get up, move to the back of the plane, and start taking things out of bags, and working with them to what purpose no one knows?

It seems to me there should be some ability for people on the plane to be able to shut down suspicious activity like this.

Maybe these guys were up to something or maybe not. Obviously if the plane was met by a bunch of agents who shuffled the guys off for questioning, someone thought they were.

But shouldn't there be some ability to do something on the plane rather than waiting until it lands? Could be too late by then.