Terror in the Skies Again (Absolutely Positive MUST-READ)

Womens' Wall Street.com ^ | July 2004 | Annie Jacobsen

[Rutles4Ever]

A WWS Exclusive Article

Note from the Editors: You are about to read an account of what happened during a domestic flight that one of our writers, Annie Jacobsen, took from Detroit to Los Angeles. The WWS Editorial Team debated long and hard about how to handle this information and ultimately we decided it was something that should be shared. What does it have to do with finances? Nothing, and everything. Here is Annie's story.

On June 29, 2004, at 12:28 p.m., I flew on Northwest Airlines flight #327 from Detroit to Los Angeles with my husband and our young son. Also on our flight were 14 Middle Eastern men between the ages of approximately 20 and 50 years old. What I experienced during that flight has caused me to question whether the United States of America can realistically uphold the civil liberties of every individual, even non-citizens, and protect its citizens from terrorist threats.

On that Tuesday, our journey began uneventfully. Starting out that morning in Providence, Rhode Island, we went through security screening, flew to Detroit, and passed the time waiting for our connecting flight to Los Angeles by shopping at the airport stores and eating lunch at an airport diner. With no second security check required in Detroit we headed to our gate and waited for the pre-boarding announcement. Standing near us, also waiting to pre-board, was a group of six Middle Eastern men. They were carrying blue passports with Arabic writing. Two men wore tracksuits with Arabic writing across the back. Two carried musical instrument cases – thin, flat, 18" long. One wore a yellow T-shirt and held a McDonald's bag. And the sixth man had a bad leg -- he wore an orthopedic shoe and limped. When the pre-boarding announcement was made, we handed our tickets to the Northwest Airlines agent, and walked down the jetway with the group of men directly behind us.

My four-year-old son was determined to wheel his carry-on bag himself, so I turned to the men behind me and said, "You go ahead, this could be awhile." "No, you go ahead," one of the men replied. He smiled pleasantly and extended his arm for me to pass. He was young, maybe late 20's and had a goatee. I thanked him and we boarded the plan.

Once on the plane, we took our seats in coach (seats 17A, 17B and 17C). The man with the yellow shirt and the McDonald's bag sat across the aisle from us (in seat 17E). The pleasant man with the goatee sat a few rows back and across the aisle from us (in seat 21E). The rest of the men were seated throughout the plane, and several made their way to the back.

[VOA]

Two carried musical instrument cases – thin, flat, 18" long. One wore a yellow T-shirt
and held a McDonald's bag. And the sixth man had a bad leg -- he wore an orthopedic
shoe and limped.

1. Musical instruments -- stringed instruments? Metal stringing could make nice garrots.

2. No search of an orthopedic shoes...yet the last time I flew my New Balances
got the going over twice on a four-leg round-trip.

But why should I complain, I'm part of the few legally-profiled groups: pale-skinned guys.
Even if I'm traveling in a suit, my shoulder bag always got a "would you mind if
we inspected your bag?" even before 9-11.
Of course, I lied...to say no is just a ticket to trouble.

[vbmoneyspender]

LOL

[Red Boots]

What should the average person do? What could have been done by the passengers, if such a senario should happen again ? That's what I'd like to think about now, in the hopes that I'd never have to face it, but would have considered it beforehand.

How about some passengers following these men to the toliets, waiting outside the doors, and checking out the stall after each one ? How about standing up with a camera and saying loudly to the other passengers, " Is everyone watching these guys ? " "They're acting wierd "

[Guenevere]

bttt

[jimbo123]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,12469,1143626,00.html

Terrorist bid to build bombs in mid-flight

Intelligence reveals dry runs of new threat to blow up airliners

Jason Burke, chief reporter
Sunday February 8, 2004
The Observer

Islamic militants have conducted dry runs of a devastating new style of bombing on aircraft flying to Europe, intelligence sources believe

-snip-

The warning, passed to Western agencies by Middle Eastern intelligence services, is based on interrogations of Islamic militants captured in the Arabian Gulf and is corroborated by intercepted communications between terrorist cells and interviews with prisoners held by the US government at Guantanamo Bay.

[Badeye]

"9/11 was 4 flights out of 20,000. So we can't draw any conclusions?"

Not in this inaccurate context you are displaying.

9/11 should be viewed not against 20,000 flights, it should be viewed against a full decade of flights.

Basically, 4 flights out of several million.

[aculeus]

It would be foolhardy for air marshals to identify themselves unless they are ready to make arrests.

That's just the attitude that will kill us.

Air Marshals are not law enforcement they are (or should be) warriors.

All these clowns should have been handcuffed and immobilized.

If the other passengers are terrified to the point of tears and the marshals are waiting for "something" to "happen" so they can "make an arrest" then we still don't understand we are at war.

The marshals inaction is scarier than the ME characters behavior.

[Badeye]

"And James Woods was paranoid, too?"

I don't think any political viewpoint is well served by citing anyone from Hollywood, to be honest. And yes, I heard his interviews and commentary.

I don't take any Hollywood multi millionaire seriously, unless they run for office.

[The Mayor]

Your right..

funny that while all that was going on, I was in Virgina working and had a white van.

I was followed because of the description, white male, white van.

[timpad]

The article was kinda long, so maybe I missed something about them blowing it up in flight. 

To me, the more destructive scenario would be to wait until the plane had just docked at the gate and then detonate the bomb (assembled in flight) via cell phone signal. Presupposing a sufficiently powerful explosive, that would destroy several aircraft, kill more people and damage/destroy the terminal as well as those inside it.

Imagine this being done at LAX. That airport would be useless for weeks, maybe longer. Count up the economic impact on that one.

[diamond6]

"Due to our rules against discrimination, it can't be done. During the 9/11 hearings last April, 9/11 Commissioner John Lehman stated that …it was the policy (before 9/11) and I believe remains the policy today to fine airlines if they have more than two young Arab males in secondary questioning because that's discriminatory"

I wonder how many people have to die before we begin discriminating!

[jimbo123]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/628439/posts

Actor Woods Fingered 9/11 Kamikaze Terrorists on Previous Fight

[technochick99]

There's no way I would regularly travel if I had to check bags. It's a nightmare even when the process works perfectly.

I try never to check bags as well. It's even STILL a nightmare.

[Badeye]

"Are there holes in our airport security? Should we fear? What should the average person do?"

First, yes I'm the same BE from PLN, banned from Lcom, banned from LP.....(grin)

There is no such thing as a "perfect defense". Doesn't matter if its a bank, a football team, or an airline, or airport. There will always be "holes", most of the time they are "unique".

Should we "fear"? I think that comes down to viewpoint. I don't fear anything that walks, as you probably know from my postings on other websites. Based on the statistics, I would say "fear" is not warranted on these lines, awareness is.

What should the average person do? Just as the author did, bring it to somebody's attention, and be prepared to do what you have to do if you are in a Flight 11 type scenario.

Life's one big "risk" at the end of the day. Sometime fear of "risk" keeps people from living their lives.

I'm not one of them.

[Quilla]

How about some passengers following these men to the toliets, waiting outside the doors, and checking out the stall after each one ? How about standing up with a camera and saying loudly to the other passengers, " Is everyone watching these guys ? " "They're acting wierd "

Absolutely. I believe I could do that. But it would be just my luck after getting up and making those statements, I'd find myself standing alone among a bunch of wimps.

[Badeye]

I appreciate the link, but as I noted, I've heard Woods comments in this regard.

[Valin]

What people have to understand is we now live in a post 9-11 world(Apparently some people don't understand that, ie..complaints about long waits for boarding aircraft).
And what that means is
1 security becomes a much higher priority than convenience(and that means grayhaired little old ladies will something be searched).
2 groups of middle eastern looking men traveling together are going to come under increased scrutiny (may not be right, may not be fair, but it is so deal with it)
3 ANYONE acting "suspiciously" under increased scrutiny and possibly detained for questioning( once again it may not be right may not be fair, but it is so deal with it).

After reading the entire article I'd the system worked.
Weather through luck or skill we've not been attacked here since 9-11, will we be attacked again I believe we will as the radical muslims have not gone away and are just waiting for a chance. How we handle ourselves after will say a great deal about us as a people.

[armydoc]

"If the passengers were concerned that something was going on in the lavatory, why didn't one of them go into the lavatory to check it out? Can't imagine that the hijackers could prevent anyone from entering the lavatory without tipping their hand and allowing the air marshals to act.

Are you serious? Act on what? Somebody going to the bathroom? In fact, that would be a win-win for the terrorists, because now (guess what?) they know who the air marshals are on board."


Not all flights have air marshalls. My solution: a sort of airborne "neighborhood watch program". Here's how it works: when a suspicious individual gets up, then a "watch member" gets up as well and follows him. If the guy goes into a lavatory, then the watch member goes in after he gets out and searches the lavatory. If a group of suspicious types congregates, then a couple of watch members congregate with them. This could be coordinated by looks, nods, hand gestures, etc. It should be done in an obvious way to let the bad guys know they are being watched and their actions monitored. I think this would go a long way towards combating any plans of building explosive devices in-flight.

[jimbo123]

"There were 14 Syrians on NWA flight #327. They were questioned at length by FAM, the FBI and the TSA upon landing in Los Angeles. The 14 Syrians had been hired as musicians to play at a casino in the desert. Adams said they were "scrubbed." None had arrest records (in America, I presume), none showed up on the FBI's "no fly" list or the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists List. The men checked out and they were let go. According to Adams, the 14 men traveled on Northwest Airlines flight #327 using one-way tickets. Two days later they were scheduled to fly back on jetBlue from Long Beach, California to New York -- also using one-way tickets."

Nothing to see here. Move along.

[oceanview]

the honest answer to your questions - millions.

I read this article, and my reaction is that the people in this country get the government they deserve. now of course, this isn't applicable to most of us here, since we know the score and know where we have gone wrong.

But this is the system that the sheeple deserve: everyone feaful of being labeled a "racist", afraid of discriminating against someone, a court system that has both civil and criminal punishments for such "offenses", government and law enforcement agencies that are unable to be proactive, etc, etc. I could go on foever, but everyone here knows what I am talking about.

I'd like to know if the author of this article is a liberal? Probably yes. I would ask her - what do you expect? This is the system people like you have given us - through the people you've elected, the public schools you have created, the media who pumps this crap into the minds of our citizens every day.