Posted on 12/07/2005 8:52:13 PM PST by 11th_VA
Federal law enforcement sources tell ABC News they had been on the alert for a possible shoe bomber when a federal air marshal opened fire at the Miami International Airport today.
In today's incident, an agitated passenger claimed to have a bomb in his backpack was shot and killed by a federal air marshal, officials said. No bomb was found.
Officials say a 50-year old Egyptian man was stopped six days ago at New York's John F. Kennedy airport. Sources say he had a suspicious pair of shoes that tested positive five times for the explosive substance TATP on the interior of his shoes between the heel and sole.
Federal officials say the man's shoes are remarkably similar to those used by shoe bomber Richard Reid, who attempted to blow up an American Airlines jet over the Atlantic four years ago.
The Egyptian man's destination was Des Moines, Iowa, sources say, and he claimed he was a student at Iowa State University, in Ames.
Strangely, after holding him overnight, airport security in New York released him. The FBI was notified after he was released. Now the FBI has put out a nationwide alert.
The man shot dead in Miami appears to have been deranged, but the missing Egyptian may help explain why air marshals acted as they did.
Un-freaking real!!
"The FBI was notified after he was released. Now the FBI has put out a nationwide alert."
We let potential shoe bombers go and then ask for help finding them;
We can't get convictions of potential terrorists in court;
Saddam can decide on his own whether he shows up in court or not;
We are doing nothing to protect our southern borders from illegal immigration;
We have a 9/11 commission that is more about "omission" than truth (e.g. Able Danger);
We are more concerned about semantics public comment of "secret prisons for terrorists" than coming right out and say to europeans "so what?";
We do nothing when the UN themselves publicly say that Iran is going to have a nuclear weapon in MONTHS;
We continue to promote trade with china when they are preparing for some war that only people can speculate why(per Rumsfeld);
Bush is afraid to put Merry Christmas on his Christmas card but will put a Koran on the whitehouse shelves. The same book that promotes the killing of everyone that is not a muslim.
Is there anyone at the wheel?
Visualize the banging head against wall graphic :-(
Un-freaking-believable! Heads should roll but now we'll find out the real "bonus" of making airport security Federal employees.
No, only that the Florida guy has a lousy sense of timing along with his other problems.
But since they work for the gov'ment, they will probably get promoted.
While I recognize that the POTUS can't and shouldn't micro-manage every department and agency, every once in a while I would like GW (or whoever is occupying the Oval Office) to summons those in charge of screw-ups like this to the White House for a five minute meeting in which he reads them the riot act using language appropriate to the circumstances. Mayor Gulliani had a reputation for doing that and it seemed to be quite effective.
Did the authorities at least return his shoes to him before releasing him?
Because Mineta is an imbecile.
Uhh... maybe it wasn't listed in their new federal employee union contract.
We'll have to wait for the next bargaining session to get this added to their job description.
At the rate it's going anybody who boards an airplane will have to be shoeless and in a straight jacket.
"Still wondering how that Harrier jet managed to crash leaving Florida."
My cousin was in the Marines for 20 years. He told me the Harrier had the worst accident rate in the Corps.
"what is TATP made of that he could have stepped in to trigger the false positive?"
Almost all explosives are nitrates. If you've been to a farm and stepped in manure or artificial fertilizer, you'll set off any decent chemical sniffer looking for nitrates.
What are nitrates? Cheaper than day rates. :)
" I will be fainting with relief and appreciation if no planes are shot down in the next 3 weeks."
Me too, considering that I'll be flying a few times.
I read that he WAS detained overnight, then released. The TSA informed the FBI of the incident after the release.
Did they return him his shoes?
That was also reported by one of the presenters (FBI, TSA) during their news conference yesterday, following the shooting at the Miami airport.
Hire hamburger-flippers get hamburger-flippers.
Almost all explosives are nitrates. If you've been to a farm and stepped in manure or artificial fertilizer, you'll set off any decent chemical sniffer looking for nitrates.
Or step into any local Mosque and walk away with nitrates.
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