Skip to comments.
'Real and Definite Threat' Caused BA Flight Cancellation
The Scotsman ^
| Jan 02 2004
| By Caroline Gammell, PA News
Posted on 01/02/2004 9:44:19 AM PST by Dog
'Real and Definite Threat' Caused BA Flight Cancellation
By Caroline Gammell, PA News
The cancellation of British Airways flight BA223 from Heathrow to Washington was caused by a real and definite threat, a defence expert warned today.
The plane had already started checking in passengers and was due to leave at 3.05pm.
But BA announced it had been cancelled at 1.15pm less than two hours before take off for security reasons.
Paul Beaver, a defence analyst, said: This is certainly unusual. The intelligence is very, very precise which is why this one flight has been cancelled.
We have got intelligence, I am told, that there was a plan to take the aircraft and destroy it over Washington or fly it into something.
Washington is the definite target.
Mr Beaver said the information passed on to BA via the Government was likely to have come from American intelligence.
All I know is there is a real and definite threat.
He went on: There is good and precise intelligence that there is more than one al Qaida or al Qaida-like group operating against the US.
One is based in central America and the other is based in Europe in London or Paris.
Mr Beaver said it was not known whether operatives in these potential terror cells are carrying legal British passports.
Yesterdays flight BA223 was also cancelled several hours before it was scheduled to depart after BA received security advice from the Government.
On New Years Eve, the same flight had been kept on the runway for three hours after landing at Washington Dulles International Airport to allow security officials to board the plane and question passengers.
The Boeing 747 was escorted into Dulles by two F-16 fighter jets.
An Aeromexico flight from Mexico City to Los Angeles was also cancelled after US authorities refused to allow it to land.
Flight 490 was cancelled after Homeland Security officials said they were concerned it might be a safety risk, said a spokesman for Mexicos President Vicente Fox.
TOPICS: Breaking News; Government; News/Current Events; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: airlinesecurity; aq; ba; ba223; iad; lhr; orangealert4
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 661-680, 681-700, 701-720 ... 841-855 next last
To: LikeLight
You have Freepmail.
To: BulletBobCo
One hour to go until touchdown of BAW225.
To: arasina
<> hmmm. so this goes with my totally unfounded theory that the problem with the plane is that a brigade of AQ have decided to fire a missle at it over British airspace as the first in a series of coordinated strikes...
To: LikeLight
the escort demonstrates that we do not even know the nature of the threat: it could be a hijacking, an AQ pilot, or a shoebomber. if we knew the threat was only for a shoebombing, there would be no need to escort the plane I would think.
To: BulletBobCo
To: All
From a recent thread:
"However, senior British investigators suspect the most likely option would involve blowing up a number of aircraft in mid-air in a carefully synchronised operation....
Here is the link.
686
posted on
01/02/2004 5:55:14 PM PST
by
bcoffey
To: NeutronTeuton
yeah right. pffffffft
687
posted on
01/02/2004 5:56:22 PM PST
by
arasina
(Tagline sponsorships! Think about it! Brought to you by MAYTAG)
To: Dog
With things getting as specific as this, I'm wondering if there were also "real and definite" suspects, and where are they? If they're worried enough about a particular flight to cancel it, does it not follow that they think the potential terrorists are actually on the plane or about to board it?
MM
To: arasina
Maybe Free Republic should start TIME STAMPING as well as dating the membership registrations. sheesh
689
posted on
01/02/2004 6:00:07 PM PST
by
arasina
(Tagline sponsorships! Think about it! Brought to you by MAYTAG)
To: nicmarlo
The time on the British Airways site reflects the time that the aircraft arrives at the gate. The time that I've been monitoring is the time that the plane sets down. Both will change slightly as the aircraft flies through the changing winds aloft.
To: BulletBobCo
I wasn't criticizing, Bob, just checking to see if, according to BA, all's well with their posted estimated arrival time... : )
To: LikeLight
I haven't heard anything yet here in Mid Coast Maine.
Maybe taking a slightly different route than earlier?
It is eerily quiet outside tonight except for the snowplow/sanding truck every half hour or so.
To: artcolley
To: artcolley
This one (225) is WAY west of the last one . . .
694
posted on
01/02/2004 6:07:19 PM PST
by
LikeLight
( ___________________________________ it's a line)
To: LikeLight
Okay, that explains why I'm not hearing anything! :o)
To: maestro
....a chair,....frig......stove/oven......toilet......(doo-doo-honey-doo)...loaded onto the planes toilets 'soil' storage tank) in the form of 'plastic'.....etc.,.....or,....'germs'....You might have something there.... Remember the vending machine in "sum of all fears"?
To: nicmarlo
I didn't take it that way at all...Happy Holidays to you. :)
To: BulletBobCo
To: BulletBobCo
And a Happy New Year to you, as well, Bob! : )
To: LikeLight
This one (225) is WAY west of the last one . What was the pattern last night? Is there a storm nearby? Wind patterns different or anything tonight?
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 661-680, 681-700, 701-720 ... 841-855 next last
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.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson