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Posted on 01/03/2004 2:49:09 AM PST by kattracks
Terrorism fears continued to disrupt international air travel as officials scrambled to determine the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash of an Egyptian charter plane.All 135 passengers, most of them French tourists, and six crew members died when the plane crashed in the Red Sea shortly after take-off from Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort, charter company Flash Air and airport officials said.
"It is possible that the plane could have had an accident," Egypt's official MENA news agency said, quoting civil aviation officials.
The aviation authority added in a statement that the plane was heading to Cairo, although Egyptian official television said it was bound for France.
The French foreign ministry said its diplomatic services were on an emergency footing in both Paris and Cairo, seeking to find out the circumstances of the crash and the situation regarding casualties.
According to pro-government newspaper Al-Ahram, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was scheduled to go to Sharm el-Sheikh Saturday for talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is holidaying there.
The crash came amid heightened air security worldwide in the face of fears of a potential extremist attack, possibly an attempt by al-Qaeda to repeat the September 11, 2001 plane attacks that killed some 3,000 in the United States.
British Airways announced it was grounding its Saturday afternoon flight to the Saudi capital Riyadh, which it had also cancelled on Wednesday, due to security concerns.
BA also cancelled a London-Washington flight for the second day running Friday, due to reports of a "real and definite threat" of a September 11-style attack on the US capital.
In all, seven flights headed for the United States -- three from France, two from Britain and two from Mexico -- have been cancelled since the US government heightened its nationwide terror alert on December 21.
Friday, two flights from Mexico City to Los Angeles were delayed while Mexican and US security officers searched passengers and luggage, airport sources in Mexico City said.
An Air France flight from New York to Paris was rerouted early Friday to Newfoundland in Canada "to unload a piece of luggage put on the plane in error," the airline said.
Amid international complaints about tougher precautions on planes, the US government defended its role in the flight disruption.
US Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security Asa Hutchinson said the cancellations were justified but it may never be known if a terrorist attack had been stopped.
"We made the right decisions," he said, adding that the decisions to halt the flights were "based on specific intelligence concerns that we have."
Suited-up jet fighter pilots remained on high alert Saturday at bases across the United States, ready to intercept -- and shoot down if necessary -- any hijacked commercial airliners, according to officials.
US media reported that military jets had also been used to escort at least two Air France jets on flights to Los Angeles this week. Three flights by the carrier to Los Angeles on December 24 and 25 were cancelled following talks between the US and French governments.
The US government has adopted tougher passenger checks on US-bound flights from France and Britain in the past week and this has contributed to several flight cancellations, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said Friday.
Authorities are now screening the passenger lists of Air France flights bound for the United States at least one hour before a flight leaves French soil, the spokesman said.
Previously, passenger manifests had been screened by US agents once a flight was airborne.
"It's the protocol we hope will be used as a template with other countries, to be able to do this on other country's airlines," the DHS spokesman said.
Some foreign officials were beginning to question the drastic measures.
Aeromexico assistant director Fernando Cevallos told AFP in Mexico City that the flight cancellations December 31 and January 1 had cost the airline more than 150,000 dollars, including the housing, feeding and compensation for passengers whose tickets were rendered worthless.
"The United States has still not given us an official explanation as to why we had to cancel the flight," Mexican presidential spokesman Agustin Gutierrez Canet complained.
French and US officials said the names of individuals on the planes who were considered to be potential terrorists turned out to be cases of mistaken identity.
But Philippines authorities on Saturday ordered passengers flying out of Manila airport to check in earlier to undergo stepped-up security checks, as President Gloria Arroyo backed the aviation measures imposed by the United States.
"The US may have sound basis to heighten its alert and we shall continue to keep our own vigilance at all levels," Arroyo said in a written statement.
It is a misconception to believe that there have been no terrorist attacks on America since 9.11.2001. There have been no successful major attacks but even the DC sniper duo, the Tampa teen kamikaze, and the anthrax mailer were terrorists. Al-Qaeda sponsored terrorism may be minimal (or thwarted) but it is a fallacy to believe that there have been no attempted attacks.
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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
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FR had a thread about this shadowing while it was happening. A Freeper ham radio operator picked up the fighter jet chatter. It was an interesting thread since we didn't know jet fighters were escorting flights at the time. The admin mod added the "plane has landed" after the fact.
NORAD intercepting Air France 68 now (plane has landed without incident)
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