I don't think so. I got an e-mail at my home with the whole story above yesterday and I was told that the person relating the story who was there is actually a freeper in good standing. No, I think it's a probe and our complacence is about to be tested. While the airline industry remains at threat level Orange and the rest of us are supposedly on Yellow, the reality is we've pretty much all sunk back to pre-911 levels of readiness. We're facing a deadly enemy and he learns from the past (unlike us).
Notice the new arrangement of attackers. Before there were 3 to 5 attackers and they tended to congregate closer together. Now they've upped the number to eleven and placed them strategically and tactically throughout the aircraft. They KNOW that it's almost certain we'll fight back. For them, it's okay. They'll just respond in kind. I suspect they (AQ) may be having more difficulty in securing a nuke to use on us and the airplane attack offers the same bang for the buck, especially if you seize more planes with more high density (in terms of population) targets. They could go after huge malls in the height of the holiday shopping season. They could target the bowl games and I have a thousand ideas but I'd rather not give them any more hints. I'm sure they lurk here on FR.
As for calling BS or referring to it as being ummm internetty, I would remind those folks that the 911 plot would also have been labeled such on September 10th 2001.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this matter; years ago I used to read your very interesting postings to TM, and I was very curious what your thoughts about this incident were - as your conclusions were typcial spot-on to my own.
Unfortunately we live in a target rich environment throughout our entire nation, and this already target-rich environment is geometrically multiplied & many times magnified due to the general complacency of the "NON-PARANOID" couch potato public.
SAD.
One thing that has me thinking on this. The plane was a relatively small Boeing 717 - a 100 pax DC-9 equivalent, just about a step up from a commuter jet. 11 jihadi for a much smaller jet (and bang).
Second thing, if this was a dry run, the overt attention they received should have tipped off TSA (provided there are some who are competent there) and alertness increased. If I was a jihadi thinking about using the tactic, I’d think twice given the crew and passenger response. I would have expected a more subtle attempt, not one to draw attention the way they did - it just sends flags up all over the place.
Indeed.
Thanks thanks.
Perhaps you have read this investigative report:
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/17508