Suspects revealed al-Qaeda plot to blow up aircraft

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

[Yaelle]

Yousef (sp?) could have brought down an airliner with his contact lenses

If looks could kill...

[Travis McGee]

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. Richard Reid, a south London petty crook trained at an al-Qaeda camp in Afghanistan, was stopped by fellow passengers on a flight from Paris to Miami trying to detonate explosives hidden in his shoe in December 2001. Since then al-Qaeda operatives have allegedly been developing new ways to smuggle explosives through airport detectors.

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.

Blowing up passenger aircraft in mid-air was a blueprint for al-Qaeda in the early 1990s. Osama bin Laden allegedly vetoed a plan to hijack up to 11 American airliners in the world’s biggest simultaneous hijack and detonate them above the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

[boris]

Ping

[LouisianaLobster]

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

I see only 2 possibilities. Either the government has decryption tools that we are unaware of, or the terrorists are sending emails in plaintext. In that case, it must be a red herring because even Arabs are not that stupid.

[discostu]

Yeah so. Did I say they weren't a threat? No. Did I say we had clear sailing? No. Did I say nothing bad could happen? No. Would any of your idiotic draconian "security measures" be able to stop this attack? NO!

You're still a moron.
You're still wrong.
And every time you ping me to one of these threads you prove again what a complete and total fool you are. For your own good, stop pinging me.

[knak]

what a freak huh?

[cajungirl]

The Govt has NSA and that big listening post in the sky outside Baltimre,,they are truly spooky and listen in on everything, everywhere.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Yeah, maybe you could put little gold colored crescen moons on their shirts.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Yeah, maybe you could put little gold colored crescen moons on their shirts. (/hitler)

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

You sound like a fool. You must have some relatives in the Salem area?

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

I wonder what Jesus looked like...

[barker]

Bump

[B4Ranch]

"A British security source said last night: “Such an attack would result in catastrophic loss of life, cause mayhem among travellers and give al-Qaeda the publicity they crave.”

I hate to be too logical but how about just stop using the term "al-Qaeda"? Refer to them as a "sick group of sorry assed, mentally deficient criminals", no referrals to Middle Eastern or Muslim should be allowed.

If the newspapers can't profile criminals by skin color or race why do we continue to profile terrorists?

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Hey, what are you inferring?! No matter what Jesus looks like, he is my saviour.

Now, for my posts about the dude that looks like richard reid, you must remember that this was just after 911 and we were full of media reports and fbi profiles of muslim extremists, some of which had some of the same features as reid and my Salvation Army guy. That is what I meant....

But, you know, to be honest, unfortunately, the evil muslim extremists have ruined it for all muslims in a real way. Sad, but true. We suspect Middle Easterners and muslims of all nations now.

[Howlin]

I think I could have spotted that one coming from a mile away.

Wasn't he refused boarding on another flight?

[expatpat]

NIMBY, huh?

[knak]

I'm gonna pull a Hillary and say I don't recall.

[expatpat]

Sorry, I don't have a commercial license, much less air-transport.

[expatpat]

I'm sure they would. I guess we'd have to insist that they malign Mohammed, the Koran, and Allah before being allowed on.

[expatpat]

Nah, they'd just rip them off.