Posted on 01/22/2010 2:15:18 AM PST by markomalley
A teenage airplane passenger using a Jewish prayer object caused a misunderstanding that led the captain to divert a Kentucky-bound plane to Philadelphia and prompted a visit from a bomb squad.
A 17-year-old boy on US Airways Express Flight 3079 from New York to Louisville was using tefillin, a set of small black boxes containing biblical passages that are attached to leather straps, said Philadelphia police Lt. Frank Vanore.
When used in prayer, one box is strapped to the arm while the other box is placed on the head.
"It's something that the average person is not going to see very often, if ever," FBI spokesman J.J. Klaver said.
The teen explained the ritual after being questioned by crew members of the flight, which had left LaGuardia Airport around 7:30 a.m. and was operated by Chautauqua Airlines, authorities said.
Officials with the airline, however, said crew members "did not receive a clear response" when they talked with the teen, according to a statement issued by Republic Airways, which owns Chautauqua.
"Therefore, in the interest of everyone's safety, the crew decided to land in Philadelphia, where a more complete investigation and follow-up with authorities would be possible," the statement said.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
In the interest of not invoking Godwin's Law at the beginning of a thread, I'll just self-censor my remaining comments on this issue.
Where the kid went wrong was not traveling with five friends who would stand up in unison & shout Allah Akbar. The court just deemed that okay.
We have yet to determine what is under those straw hats worn by the Amish.....
I've never seen those things and it sounded like the explanation was lacking.
You can't get upset with the captain for being overly cautious.
In my experience, Jews wearing traditional items and garb, are very easily recognized as Jews. and do not look like the average muslim traveler. The only remaining question, is how many folks dressed as orthodox Jews have been engaged in placing bombs on aircraft?
“In my experience, Jews wearing traditional items and garb, are very easily recognized as Jews. and do not look like the average muslim traveler. The only remaining question, is how many folks dressed as orthodox Jews have been engaged in placing bombs on aircraft?”
I don’t imagine that a radical muslim would ever consider dressing up like an Orthodox Jew in order to commit an act or terrorism.
Schmucks.
Deja vu.
Yep. This has happened before on a commercial jet. But it was a while back, like over ten years ago.
People forget but some things, like Muslim lunatics bombing and hijacking airplanes, seem to go on forever.
 |
A teenage airplane passenger using a Jewish prayer
^
And they actually reported the religion yesterday...
Do women wear tefillin?
Only if they have the cajones.
No, but it's odd that this happened out of NY La Guardia---where orthodox Jews are not exactly in short supply.
I agree.
Oh, wait...
Wrong religion, never mind.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.