Thanks. I'll take overreaction over complacency anyday. I guess the air marshalls would have snapped into action after the bomb went off...?
Posted on 07/24/2004 4:05:17 PM PDT by HostileTerritory
Undercover federal air marshals on board a June 29 Northwest airlines flight from Detroit to LAX identified themselves after a passenger, “overreacted,” to a group of middle-eastern men on board, federal officials and sources have told KFI NEWS.
The passenger, later identified as Annie Jacobsen, was in danger of panicking other passengers and creating a larger problem on the plane, according to a source close to the secretive federal protective service.
Jacobsen, a self-described freelance writer, has published two stories about her experience at womenswallstreet.com, a business advice web site designed for women.
“The lady was overreacting,” said the source. “A flight attendant was told to tell the passenger to calm down; that there were air marshals on the plane.”
The middle eastern men were identified by federal agents as a group of touring musicians travelling to a concert date at a casino, said Air Marshals spokesman Dave Adams.
Jacobsen wrote she became alarmed when the men made frequent trips to the lavatory, repeatedly opened and closed the overhead luggage compartments, and appeared to be signaling each other.
“Initially it was brought to [the air marshals] attention by a passenger,” Adams said, adding the agents had been watching the men and chose to stay undercover.
Jacobsen and her husband had a number of conversations with the flight attendants and gestured towards the men several times, the source said.
“In concert with the flight crew, the decision was made to keep [the men] under surveillance since no terrorist or criminal acts were being perpetrated aboard the aircraft; they didn’t interfere with the flight crew,” Adams said.
The air marshals did, however, check the bathrooms after the middle-eastern men had spent time inside, Adams said.
FBI agents met the plane when it landed in Los Angeles and the men were questioned, and Los Angeles field office spokeswoman Cathy Viray said it’s significant the alarm on the flight came from a passenger.
“We have to take all calls seriously, but the passenger was worried, not the flight crew or the federal air marshals,” she said. “The complaint did not stem from the flight crew.”
Several people were questioned, she said, but no one was detained.
Jacobsen’s husband Kevin told KFI NEWS he approached a man he thought was an air marshal after the flight had landed.
“You made me nervous,” Kevin said the air marshal told him.
“I was freaking out,” Kevin replied.
“We don’t freak out in situations like this,” the air marshal responded.
Federal agents later verified the musicians’ story.
“We followed up with the casino,” Adams said. A supervisor verified they were playing a concert. A second federal law enforcement source said the concert itself was monitored by an agent.
“We also went to the hotel, determined they had checked into the hotel,” Adams said. Each of the men were checked through a series of databases and watch-lists with negative results, he said.
The source said the air marshals on the flight were partially concerned Jacobsen’s actions could have been an effort by terrorists or attackers to create a disturbance on the plane to force the agents to identify themselves.
Air marshals’ only tactical advantage on a flight is their anonymity, the source said, and Jacobsen could have put the entire flight in danger.
“They have to be very cognizant of their surroundings,” spokesman Adams confirmed, “to make sure it isn’t a ruse to try and pull them out of their cover.”
No wonder they were complaining about the dress code then, if anonymity is the ONLY advantage and they don't even have that!
Well, gee, ask the survivors of Flight 587 over Queens.
On one hand passengers are supposed to be aware of their surroundings and fellow passengers as our part in homeland defense. Not every flight has air marshalls aboard.
On the other hand, if we become alarmed by what we see, we are not to appear alarmed, or the marshalls who are there (or not there) may suspect us as being plants to expose them.
Now who is supposed to be protected? The passengers and crew, or the air marshalls?
Having worked with several air marshals while they were in the Border Patrol, I would have to know who the marshals are before deciding whether or not to take them seriously.
bump
I don't understand your post... I was saying that the idea that she was "overreacting" is problematic.
If the TSA really wanted to protect people they would not let any arabs on any flight.
These days your best defense is to avoid flying whenever possible. For distances less than 1000 miles, it's faster to drive.
If you have to fly, observe people in the waiting area. If you see lots of arabs ask the airline folks to be moved to a later flight. Tell them why. When enough people start doing this, maybe things will change.
Remember islamic arabs want us dead. Their religion says they go to heaven if they die while killing infidels.
I would probably have "overreacted" to the tune of something far more extreme. Especially when they all alegedly stood up together at the end.
I get edgy enough when I fly. I don't know if I could have tolerated that quietly.
Yeh, and on that other plane where they found the ME guy in the forward restroom trying to dig through the wall into the cockpit---that was just an over-reaction, too, of course.
Now, move along, folks. Nothing to see here. Quickly, quickly. Go buy some duct tape and plastic sheeting, and we'll handle things here...
Also, these group of 14 had expired visas! Nothing was done about it. Joe Scarborough is following up on this story.
Bump. Absolutely correct.
First we are told to be the eyes and ears because we all have to help out. Then with the strange, unusual and blatant behaviors of the middle eastern men on board a passenger brings it to the attention of the flight attendants who are ALSO watching this strange, unusual, behavior and NOW they tell us these passengers OVERREACTED? Excuse me? Good for the passengers. They were alert. I'm tired of this "roll over and be taken advantage of" attitude. All it gets you is death at the hands of a perpetrator. I think they did the right thing and...did basically what we have all been told to do and that is be the eyes and ears of law enforcement, etc.
I was under the impression that their main tactical advantage is their firearms.
Thanks. I'll take overreaction over complacency anyday. I guess the air marshalls would have snapped into action after the bomb went off...?
Go watch MTV. Or Fox. Whatever. Just sit down and shut up.
Everythings taken care of.
I expect that some folks are going to have to get killed before government agents want people to protect themselves.
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