Washington PostFrance giving a heads up? Troubling.
[6 Air France, Paris to L.A. flights were cancelled today due to terrorism concerns.]The flights scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday were called off because of information obtained "in the framework of the French-American fight against terrorism," the French prime minister's office said.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that, according to law enforcement officials, new U.S. intelligence prompted increased scrutiny of foreign airports and airlines that may have been penetrated by individuals sympathetic to terrorist groups. Officials have been checking identities of flight crews and have questioned some flight crew members in recent weeks, according to The Post.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security had been meeting with French officials in recent days over concerns about a possible terrorist attack.
One U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. government had been trying to keep the negotiations with France confidential, "hoping that we would be able to lure some of these people in."
The official said there was some frustration within the Department of Homeland Security that the flights were canceled, thus allowing the word to get out about the security concerns.