Suspects revealed al-Qaeda plot to blow up aircraft

The Times (UK) ^ | 1/03/04 | Daniel McGrory and Stewart Tendler

[oceanview]

neither will work.

the bomber can make the explosive from something he has on his person (like shoes, or a contact lens cleaning solution kit), and just go into the lavatory to set it up. someone with a gun, even an air marshal, cannot stop that by shooting him. you would have to ban ALL carry on, no shoes, no purses, nothing.

[oceanview]

suppose they check a box on their ticket that said they are Lutheran, what are you going to do?

[oyez]

The revelations came as government eavesdroppers began picking up e-mails from the Middle East referring to transatlantic flights.

Now al-Qaeda is having revelations on how they were found out.

I falied to see if anyone was arrested or do they just let these characters free to go pioneering.

[Howlin]

Would you have removed Richard Reid

You bet your A$$ I would have:

[DB]

None of the flights involved in 9-11 and none the flights in this situation originated in the Middle East.

[cajungirl]

thanks for the ping,,seems we dodged a bullet.

[expatpat]

It's going to take a little background checking. They may have to make their reservations at least a week in advance, to give time for that.

[Savage Beast]

They worship Satan and serve him well.

They'd better not expect rewards. The Devil will roast them in hell with no regard to their devotion. Such is the fate of Devil-worshippers!

[mombonn]

Suspects held here and in the United States have told how these “kit bombs” would be assembled on board. Components of the bomb could be hidden in cabin luggage, concealed in shampoo and medicine bottles in a passenger’s wash bag.

This coupled with info from another thread indicating that Yousef (sp?) could have brought down an airliner with his contact lenses is quite interesting.

[GetUsOutOfTheUnitedNations]

Then, only the Muslim flight needs to be shadowed, but closely, by F-16s. It should be allowed to land only at say Raleigh-Durham airport, not DC or New York.

Don't send them to Raleigh/Durham..this is my back yard....send them to ah, er, hmmmmm......Cuba

[mombonn]

. . . perhaps then they will stop trying to trip up Bush and concentrate on trying to trip up the terrorists

LOL - you must still belive in Santa Claus! LOL - Happy New Year, dear one!

[spokeshave]

"This coupled with info from another thread indicating that Yousef (sp?) could have brought down an airliner with his contact lenses is quite interesting."

I guess he substituted the contact lenses with the pilots causing the pilot to overshoot the runway and crash.

[Finalapproach29er]

You want to Captain that flight?

[Brad’s Gramma]

Place marker

[Recovering_Democrat]

Only 2 out of 4 hit their target.

My spouse thinks it was more than that...that there were more planned hijackings that day, and the halting of all air traffic that day saved innumerable lives!

I believe that is possible...and the cessation of these British Airways/Air France/AeroMexico flights are also throwing major wrenches in Al Qaeda's plans to get attention. This article is probably accurate: Osama bin Jackass craves some public act on which he can claim responsibility.

I'll be glad when our Special Forces drag his ragged ass out of whatever crap-filled cave he's calling home now. Of course, Howard Dean doesn't want us to 'pre-judge' him, but Howard Dean isn't my president.

[thoughtomator]

If this is true, the AQ is in even worse shape than I thought (and I thought they were in pretty bad shape to begin with). If they thought that we were going to fall for the old crash-planes-into-cities trick again, they are a lot dumber than anyone estimated.

[Yaelle]

How would you get them to admit they are Muslim? If it helps the jihad they probably would lie.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

I am telling you, reid is a ringer for a guy that was ringing the alvation Army bell for donations outside my local Waldbaum's supermarket back in December 2001. He was dressed in a completely noticeable gigantically oversized coat with the hood covering a good deal of his face. This piqued my interest because that year we had a very warm winter. But I went over to him and looked at his face and I saw a huge nose, dark skin and a poorly grown beard and face stubble. I balked because he looked gruesome and Middle Eastern. This was before the reid case happened. When the dude peered at me from behind all his coverings, he said, "Hamasa?" I felt like I was in a Twilight Zone episode. I tried to find out what "Hamasa" meant later on, but I never could make real sense of it.

Anyway, soon we heard about the reid incident and when I saw reid, I realized how similar they look. I know the Salvation Army guy was not reid, but they could be brothers.

[Yaelle]

Not a good stand-in for Mel Gibson, is he?

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Ping...