[autoresponder]

I cannot find that old story of the skyjacked jetliner that Fruitcake of Islamic terrorists attempted to force the pilots to crash into the Eiffel Tower.

Aircraft eventually landed.

Skyjackers were not trained to fly back then.

Perhaps some of you could pull it up and post it here on FR.

It will be interesting to hear what France says about the USA telling them to cancel flights to America now.

[Happy2BMe]

All I can say is better over there than over here.

Wonder what all this attention is doing for Chirac's "PUCKER" effect?

[beaversmom]

Oh they tried to make the U.S. look stupid saying that we cancelled those flights because of a 5 year old boy and some other equally non-terrorist types. I don't believe anything I hear from the French government. To me they are the enemy.
I do feel bad for the people that died on this plane crash. It may not be terrorism but then again. I really don't understand why any westerner unless in the military or a businessman would go to the Mideast however. I know they've got some great places to see but there is too much evil there for my taste.

[Prodigal Son]

It will be interesting to hear what France says about the USA telling them to cancel flights to America now.

FWIW:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-01/03/content_1258816.htm

PARIS, Jan. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday the United States had the right to demand an ally deploy elite gendarmes aboard certain US-bound flights for security concerns.

"When a friend country demands that we reinforce the security measures on our part, nobody could blame. I prefer that we blame for too much control instead of for insufficient control," said Sarkozy during a security inspection at the airport of Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle in northeastern Paris.

"The Americans know what the competence the French services have and they know exactly what measures we are taking," said the minister when inspecting the baggage checking process.

"France will do what she should do," he said, adding that the elite security men aboard Air France flights carry a special weapon representing no risk to passengers.

The security aboard flights to the Untied States was highlighted during the Christmas and New Year festival season.

At Washington's request, the French government last week decided to cancel six Air France flights from Paris to Los Angeleson Dec. 24 and 25 because the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) suspected some of the passengers were would-be terrorists.

However, the FBI confirmed Friday that it had made a mistake over the identities of their suspects. Enditem

[csvset]

I cannot find that old story of the skyjacked jetliner that Fruitcake of Islamic terrorists attempted to force the pilots to crash into the Eiffel Tower.

In December 1994, an Air France flight was hijacked in Algeria and flown to Marseilles, France. The French speculate that the highjackers wanted to crash the plane into a Parisian landmark susch as the Eiffel Tower. French commandos stormed the plane and killed the terrorists.

You can read about it here GIGN at Marseilles Airport