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Officials Say Air Marshals Did Right Thing
AP on Yahoo ^ | 12/8/05 | John Pain - ap

Posted on 12/08/2005 3:15:49 PM PST by NormsRevenge

MIAMI - The White House said Thursday that two federal air marshals appeared to have acted properly when they shot and killed an agitated passenger who claimed to have a bomb in his backpack.

No bomb was found, and authorities later said Rigoberto Alpizar, the passenger killed Wednesday at the Miami airport, was not a terrorist. Witnesses said his wife had frantically tried to explain that he was mentally ill and had not taken his medication.

"I don't think anyone wants to see it come to a situation like this," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "But these marshals appear to have acted in a way that's consistent with the extensive training that they have received. And we'll see what the investigation shows, and lessons learned from that will be applied to future training and protocol."

Similarly, Dave Adams, a spokesman for the Federal Air Marshal Service, said the marshals followed proper procedures. "We only react when there is a threat to the aircraft, passengers or crew," he said.

Passengers on the Orlando-bound American Airlines flight said they saw a man bolt from his seat and run down the aisle with his arms flailing shortly after boarding, with his screaming wife and man in a Hawaiian shirt — an undercover air marshal — behind him.

He was gunned down moments later on a jetway after he apparently reached for his back, authorities said. Two air marshals were on the flight, and both fired at Alpizar, Adams said.

It was the first time since the Sept. 11 attacks that an air marshal shot at someone, Homeland Security Department spokesman Brian Doyle said.

Jeanne Jentsch, the sister of Alpizar's wife, read a short statement Thursday outside the couple's suburban Orlando home, calling him "a loving, gentle and caring husband, uncle, son and friend."

Relatives took no questions from reporters, and the statement did not address Alpizar's mental condition. On Wednesday, James E. Bauer, agent in charge of the air marshals' Miami field office, would not comment on Alpizar's mental state either.

But he said that before Alpizar ran off the plane, he "uttered threatening words that included a sentence to the effect that he had a bomb."

Witnesses said Alpizar's wife, Anne, tried to explain he was bipolar, a mental illness also known as manic-depression.

"She said it was her fault, that he was bipolar," said Mike Beshears, who was on the flight and works for a vacation club in Orlando. "He was sick and she had convinced him to get on the plane."

The Bush administration hired thousands of additional air marshals after the Sept. 11 attacks, when the nation had only 33. The exact number is classified. Marshals fly undercover, and which planes they are on is a closely guarded secret.

Adams, the air marshals spokesman, said the two marshals joined the force in 2002. One previously worked with the Border Patrol, the other as a Customs inspector. Both have been placed on paid administrative leave while the Miami-Dade Police Department investigates, Adams said.

Officials declined to say how many times Alpizar was shot, but passengers reported hearing four to six shots.

Alpizar, who worked in the paint department of a home supply store, was returning from a missionary trip, according to a neighbor who was watching his ranch-style house in Maitland. He had arrived in Miami on a flight from Ecuador earlier Wednesday.

The Alpizars had been married for about two decades and met when Anne was an exchange student in Costa Rica, family members said.

"This whole neighborhood is shocked," said Alex McLeod, 16, who lives three houses from the Alpizars. "Totally uncharacteristic of the guy."

Charles Baez, manager of the MAB Paints store in Orlando where Alpizar worked, described him as a health enthusiast who was always patient with customers.

"He was a quiet, reserved gentleman," Baez said. "It's very bizarre to me that he would do anything like that."


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; US: Florida; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: airlinesecurity; airmarshals; alpizar; dhs; flight924; officials; rightthing
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1 posted on 12/08/2005 3:15:51 PM PST by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge

In other news, the Miami airport was overwhelmed by unprecedented passenger traffic as trial lawyers poured in from all over the country to represent the bereaved widow.


2 posted on 12/08/2005 3:19:20 PM PST by Spok (Est omnis de civilitate.)
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To: NormsRevenge

Witnesses said Alpizar's wife, Anne, tried to explain he was bipolar, a mental illness also known as manic-depression.

"She said it was her fault, that he was bipolar," said Mike Beshears, who was on the flight and works for a vacation club in Orlando. "He was sick and she had convinced him to get on the plane."



-----


How do you train Air Marshals to handle this situation?

A bipolar paint store worker returning from a missionary trip.

Another victim of the GWOT?


3 posted on 12/08/2005 3:19:39 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Monthly Donor spoken Here. Go to ... https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: NormsRevenge
"She said it was her fault, that he was bipolar," said Mike Beshears, who was on the flight and works for a vacation club in Orlando. "He was sick and she had convinced him to get on the plane."

My heart really breaks for this woman. What a horrible situation, and she's going to probably feel guilty for the rest of her life.

But... I do believe that the agents did what they had to do.
4 posted on 12/08/2005 3:20:03 PM PST by conservatrice
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To: NormsRevenge

The shame of it is that the marshal should require defending. He did the absolute right thing. Even without a bomb, this guy could have done harm--but no one could possibly tell whether he actually had one or not.


5 posted on 12/08/2005 3:20:41 PM PST by MizSterious (Anonymous sources often means "the voices in my head told me.")
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To: Spok

Damned if you shoot, damned if you don't. All Bush's fault. Then again, if there had been a bomb that exploded, it would have been Bush's fault if the marshals hadn't shot to prevent it.


6 posted on 12/08/2005 3:20:45 PM PST by peyton randolph (Warning! It is illegal to fatwah a camel in all 50 states)
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To: NormsRevenge

FAM in the past had some the strictest requirements. These guys are pro's - I'm sure they acted accordingly -


7 posted on 12/08/2005 3:21:27 PM PST by SevenMinusOne
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To: NormsRevenge
"She said it was her fault, that he was bipolar," said Mike Beshears, who was on the flight and works for a vacation club in Orlando. "He was sick and she had convinced him to get on the plane."

I wonder if she bought any life insurance on him for the flight? Sorry...couldn't resist. If it is as it appears, she will need help dealing with her guilt.

8 posted on 12/08/2005 3:21:34 PM PST by TheDon (The Democratic Party is the party of TREASON!)
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To: TheDon

My thought too. What a strange set up that would be. I think we have been watching too much CSI.ha.


9 posted on 12/08/2005 3:23:29 PM PST by Recovering Ex-hippie (If Iran has nukes, to hell with my diet!)
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To: conservatrice

A sad situation all the way around and for all involved.


10 posted on 12/08/2005 3:24:27 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Monthly Donor spoken Here. Go to ... https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Spok
In other news, the Miami airport was overwhelmed by unprecedented passenger traffic as trial lawyers poured in from all over the country to represent the bereaved widow.

If I was a passenger on the plane, I would be suing the bereaved widow.

11 posted on 12/08/2005 3:39:26 PM PST by wyattearp (The best weapon to have in a gunfight is a shotgun - preferably from ambush.)
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To: NormsRevenge
And in other news....

Time magazine has found a "15 minutes of fame" passenger on the flight who never heard this guy say the word bomb.

Let's see how many other Andy Warhol clock-tickers come out with this little "revelation" to get their 15 minutes too..

12 posted on 12/08/2005 3:57:38 PM PST by Fedupwithit (Forget the clever slogans.....Democrats are just idiots, plain and simple)
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To: NormsRevenge
I heard on talk radio this morning, the wife claims he was sick and said "vomito"
13 posted on 12/08/2005 3:58:13 PM PST by vigilante2 (rumor has it JR is passing out catnip balls)
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To: vigilante2
"wife claims he was sick and said "vomito""
And what then has happened to the barf bags normally found in the back of the seat ahead? Speak of the terminal stupidity.
14 posted on 12/08/2005 4:21:25 PM PST by GSlob
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To: NormsRevenge

"If he only had a pair of scissors or screwdriver we would have let him go, but the new objective is stopping the guys who wear their backpacks in the front and claim they have bombs."


15 posted on 12/08/2005 4:23:53 PM PST by ArtyFO (I love to smoke cigars when I adjust artillery fire.)
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To: GSlob

apparently they had already exited the plane


16 posted on 12/08/2005 4:28:25 PM PST by vigilante2 (rumor has it JR is passing out catnip balls)
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To: vigilante2

He was running while still inside the plane. Thus if he felt queasy, the bags were still available. They merely shot him outside the plane, where the chance of hitting others was lower.


17 posted on 12/08/2005 4:37:28 PM PST by GSlob
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To: NormsRevenge
It appears everything was done properly. But, I remember the BS we were fed when those trigger-happy Brits slaughtered that South American kid last summer. The initial reports were full of lies.

Remember conservatives: Federal Air Marshals are yet another unconstitutional federal bureaucracy. I hope everything is as we've been told. But, I'll withhold judgment for awhile.
18 posted on 12/08/2005 4:45:58 PM PST by AlexandriaDuke
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To: NormsRevenge

Actually, when you think about it, his wife might have made things worse. The guy's running up and down the aisle screaming, "I've got a bomb," and the wife screams, "He's mentally ill!" I wonder what a guy who's crazy might do if he had a bomb?


19 posted on 12/08/2005 5:08:29 PM PST by jimboster (Vitajex, whatcha doin' to me)
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To: NormsRevenge

If someone was arbitrarily hauled off and shot on every airplane, it would go a long way towards changing in flight decorum.


20 posted on 12/08/2005 5:43:45 PM PST by billorites (freepo ergo sum)
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