France warning tipped off terrorists, say U.S. officials

Washington Times ^ | 12/17/03 | From combined dispatches

[kattracks]

One or more terror suspects may have escaped due to a premature disclosure in France of the security concerns behind the cancellation of Christmas flights to Los Angeles, U.S. officials said yesterday.

One official said "a chorus of groans" from the Department of Homeland Security to the White House went out when the French made clear at the time the cancellations had been ordered for security reasons.

[Robert Drobot]

BTT!!!

[justa-hairyape]

told Reuters in Paris: "We have not detected passengers with the profile of people belonging to a radical Islamic group. ... All the checks so far have come to nothing."

Thats because not all terrorists in the world look like arab muslims or even have arab sounding names. Some might even have frenchy sounding last names and might even look frenchy-like. If an Air France plan steers off its assigned flight plan while over US territory, it should be shot down immediately.

If the French complain just tell them, "We have this Freedom. You cannot stop us".

[texasflower]

They announced cancellation of these flights for two days. I don't know what flight these people were scheduled to be on, but they probably had more than enough notice to avoid showing up and taken into custody.

[justa-hairyape]

Opps. 'Air France plan' should read 'Air France plane'.

[DooDahhhh]

My question....if we know enough about this Tunisian pilot..why can't we find him and take him out before he gets to do his martydom flight. He obviously made a reservation from somewhere, on his credit card, etc.

[PJ-Comix]

Reading the history of the Vichy French, this doesn't surprise me. Both the Vichy French and the current day French (not much difference) are motivated by a centuries old hate of Britain (and by extension, America). During WWII they collaborated with the Germans because their insane hatred for the British overrode the fact that it was the Germans that conquered them. Amazingly the French are still pissed off by the fact that they lost a series of wars to the British centuries ago. Hey France! That was way back in the past! Get over it.

Top Frenchies were also collaborators with the Germans. This includes one of their past anti-American socialist presidents (Mitterand) who worked in the Vichy government and that darling of leftist intellectuals, Jean-Paul Sarter. How the left looks upon Sartre as some great philosopher, I don't know because he also collaborated with the Germans.

And now the French feel it is more "honorable" to collaborate with the Islamofacsists. Irrational anti-British and anti-American feelings overrides everything for the French.

And that idiot, John F-ing Kerry still thinks we should have sought French approval to take action on Iraq? What a moron!

[DanDan]

I am amazed by the amount of stupidities one can find in a post a soon as the word 'FRANCE' is in the title.
French bashing has become such an easy sport that the article could be about any subject, the same arguments will come back: worms, islamists, Vichy, blah blah blah....

Let's consider the facts and only the facts. The US asked, on their own intelligence reports, the french government to cancel some flights. Chirac and Raffarin did so. Impossible to know if the allegations were legitimate or not, it doesn't even really matter, the partnership worked very well. Do you think the french are that stupid as to release potential terrorists?

France has some of the best intelligence and secret services in the world. They have infiltrated all the sensitive communities. And it is only through collaboration that future international terrorist plots can be avoided.

Relying exclusively on national american intelligence can lead to the catastrophes we have seen in the past. 9/11 happened with american planes, taking off from american airports, with terrorists cleared by american agents. Let's not forget it and make sure it never happens again.

[G.Mason]

"There is a lot more to this story than is being reported."

There is a lot more to every story than is ever reported. ;)

[CaptSkip]

How about a couple of F-16 fighters "escorting" Air France flights as they approach US airspace. Kinda like the jets that follow the shuttle down, but instead, ready to put a missle up it's ass if it does anything obviously hostile.

[Imal]

Dang, you're on to the clever secret of my inestimable wisdom!

Other unarguable truths: What's right is right. What's fair is fair. Business is business.

[justa-hairyape]

Its a pretty sad statement for how bad French Intelligence is in preventing known terrorists to board an Air France plane when they have to find out from us. You would think us 'barbaric' americans would be too busy watching our own airlines to also have time to inform the French that known terrorist are about to board one of their own Air France flights. I say, ban all flights from France until the French improve their terrorism prevention capabilities. Banning the public wearing of Turbans, is not fighting Terrorism.

[CaptSkip]

DanDan, DanDan, Dan....

"The US asked, on their own intelligence reports, the french government to cancel some flights. Chirac and Raffarin did

...only because they new we could deny them fly-over rights like the did to US when we had to attack LIBYA. There is NO partnership between France and the US. Did you watch the UN debates? France is NOT our ally. Why do you think the US and the UK EXCLUDED France on the Libya WMD talks?

The French people and leaders would like nothing more than if we took a "HUGH" hit. Hell, they might even sacrifice some of their own for the AQ cause...at least turn the terrorist team loose with instructions to find a different carrier.

Don't be all squishy and naive...please?

[DanDan]

I am very far from being naïve.

And I am lucky enough to hear things from both sides.
If you really believe that France (and what is France? the government? the people?) would be ready to allow and close their eyes on a plane taking off from Paris to commit a terrorist act, then I don't know who is naive.

Come on, diplomacy is diplomacy. But do you really think that french intelligence would be ready to help AQ?

[endthematrix]

"France has some of the best intelligence and secret services in the world. "

This is based on what? That aside, they have the worst punctuality and arrogance I have dealt with. And let me tell ya that stereotype of uncleanliness is based in fact!

[blanknoone]

Did you fail to read the article? Collective groans? Hoped arrests could me made when potential terrorists showed up for the flight? france made announcements days ahead of time including the security reason?

Is it not obvious that we cooperated with the french, and they Jean Kerryed us?

Do you think the french are that stupid as to release potential terrorists?

Stupid? No. Malicious enough to deliberately allow terrorists to escape because terrorists are almost as hateful towards all things American as the french? Yes.

Canceling the flights early enough and obviously enough meant that these particular attacks, in which french would also die, would be thwarted, but also let any terrorists escape, so they could attack America some other way. Do you think the french are to stupid to realize THAT?

[zbigreddogz]

Shot in the Dark rules. One of the few good things that is associated with France since the WW2 French Underground.

[albee]

....Do you think the french are that stupid as to release potential terrorists?

The answer is an emphatic YES!!!!!

[DanDan]

It is based on the results.

Although France has virtually no borders since it entered the Schengen space, that it has a 5 or 6 million muslim population, that it has been the target of a number of attacks (US embassy in 2001 for example), it has been able to avoid major attacks and arrests are made frequently.

As far as your first hand experience on uncleanliness, punctuality and arrogance, if it is factual, I am sure it applies to the whole 60 million people of France.

[DanDan]

Did you know that since the 21st of December, when the french authorities learned about the potential threats from the CIA, armed members of the GIGN (elite french anti terrorist teams) boarded the Paris-LA flights? I haven't seen this in the american media.
As a matter of fact, I am sure they are present on every transatlantic flights until at least the end of the year.

There is so much going on that we do not know about, and I really trust all intelligence services , american or french, to do their best to avoid another catastrophe. To believe that France would do anything that could help another tragedy is, for me, foolish.

[Diogenesis]

France is an enemy to FREE PEOPLE around the World.

========= IRAQI WEAPONS from France USED Against US and Coalition Heroes ========

French missiles were found by the Poles, and to protect France, blown up.

The pompous froggies said they did not say "2003". Decide for yourself.