Iranians Seize British Sailors

ABC GMA | ABC GMA

[MindBender26]

Just saw in 7:00-7:30 segment of GMA.

Iranian navy siezed about a dozen UK sailors. Sailors were conducting routine shipping embargo inspection in northern end of Persian Gulf.

Sailors have been taken back to Iran

Can't find it anywhere else.

[Williams]

I've heard on the radio that Iran had terrorists blow up the Vincennes' captain's car, which resulted in killing his wife. Just another act of war that doesn't seem to make the news.

[Dominick]

This story claims it was not teroristic. She was not killed, she did survive.

Rogers Bombing Not Terrorists?
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Federal investigators now believe someone with a grudge against the USS Vincennes' former skipper, not revenge-minded terrorists, may have bombed the van his wife drove, according to published reports.
The FBI probe has shifted its focus to the possibility that the March 10 bombing was carried out by a U.S. citizen, unconnected with the military, who has a personal vendetta against Capt. Will C. Rogers III, The San Diego Union reported Monday. The paper quoted a Navy official who asked to remain anonymous.

Federal agents have identified such an individual and are checking his alibis, but no further identification or elaboration was available, a Justice Department official said.

The Los Angeles Times quoted four unidentified sources Sunday who also said the FBI probe is focusing on the personal vendetta theory. Two of those sources said the individual being investigated was a U.S. citizen.

The pipe bomb explosion drew national attention because investigators initially interpreted it as terrorist retribution for the mistaken downing eight months earlier of an Iranian commercial jetliner by the Vincennes, an Aegis-class guided missile cruiser commanded by Rogers.

All 290 people aboard the plane died. Rogers' wife, Sharon, was alone in the van but got out uninjured moments before it was destroyed by fire at an intersection near the couple's home in San Diego, where the Vincennes is based.

Tom Hughes, FBI special agent in charge in San Diego, refused to discuss any aspect of the six-month probe. ``We will have the same position we have in any ongoing investigation,'' he said, ``and that is `no comment.'''

Rogers expressed surprise at the possibility of a personal motive in the attack, saying, ``I have not the remotest idea of anyone who would take a personal vendetta against me or my family.''

Iranians?

[Dominick]

If I may clarify, Iranian were definitely not involved. Yes indeed, they didn't do it. It was hobbits or maybe dwarves.

In 1989 we were still invincible.

Thank God she survived.

[CremeSaver]

I don't care what you have to do as long as you get your guys home safe and sound. The thought of civilized sailors in the hands of these barbarians makes my skin crawl. Prayers for all.

[CremeSaver]

What about the Dutch and the Danes? They are with us in the WOT.

[rbmillerjr]

I don't think it's a stupid move. The Iranians have a history of taking hostages and coming out smelling like roses. They know that the West will negotiate in secret.

They can use them as leverage against attacks on the nuke sites or place them as shields. Not alot of great responses by the UK here, unless you concede their deaths and attack in response and that is not the way the West doe business.

[truth_seeker]

"Question is, will "W" and Tony B use this as a casus belli top go after AlmiondJoy and the moolahs."

Almost certainly no.

Neither have the domestic support for another adventure with the muslim hordes be they arab or persian.

Now if it became US, British, Israeli policy to periodically bomb suspected nuclear sites, it could be portrayed as like the Saddam WMD bombing runs.

In a perfect world, Britain would give them a deadline to return the hostages. Failing said return, NATO would begin systematic bombings of nuclear and military facilities.

If NATO got serious and acted Iran would fold pretty fast.

[Born to Conserve]

"What’s interesting is the recent arrival of the French Nuclear Carrier battle fleet to join up with our two battle carrier groups. I wonder how that will play out if there is shooting?"

They would be grounded until we had destroyed every Iranian aircraft. Then they would be given patrol missions. Mostly they would be in the way.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

Just saw news flash:

Iran government is claiming the British were in Iranian waters.

[Williams]

Interesting, thanks for the details.

[happygrl]

What is EP3 ?

You left out the Mayaquez (President Ford had stones)and the plane taken by the Chinese in 2001 (a mixed bag).

[do the dhue]

I wonder if this means that if you show any sign of weakness, the bad guys will jump all over you?

Just wondering....

[archy]

Definitely would cause some chaos around here though. Apparently when they shot down that air-liner there was a thought that Iranian-linked terrorists would attack Vincennes Indiana in an act of retribution. Why they would attack this place boggles the mind though....

I was the safety officer for the 1993 Army Air Corps reunion, warbird fly-in and Air Races at Lawrenceville-Vincennes Airport in 1993, the 5-year anniversary of the Airbus shootdown....on the 3rd of July, the date of the incident. The locals blew off the possibility of any problems, but I ran some info past some folks with decent intelligence connections, there being no such thing as a *state intelligence fusion center* then.

Though most helpfully advised that they'd quietly look into it, one SERIOUSLY freaked out, and I found out that not all the Iranian students at Vincennes University were leftover exiles from the Shah's days...and that there were nearly two dozen paid-in-full members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization busy there as well.

We took appropriate precautions, and our worst problems were July-heat casualties among the older folks, snarled traffic and a drunk who stuck his car in the parking lot and needed a tow and a ride home. But we wre ready for other trouble as well, which didn't hurt a thing, and all was well.

Our Air Boss for that weekend was one of the pilots aboard the Halloween-day American Eagle commuter Flight 4184 en route to Chicago from Indy, which crashed in a remote farmer's field near Roselawn in Newton County, IN, killing all aboard. One of the two flight attendents aboard had been the VIP hostess for the WWII aviators being honored at LVA that weekend.

I have long noticed that there's a relationship between the numbers of the people who say but, it CAN'T happen here and the length of time until it finally does.

[archy]

Sadly the Vincennes was decommissioned AFIK.

Yep, decommissioned on 29 June 2005 at San Diego. But she is presently mothballed at the Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility, Naval Base Kitsap, at Bremerton, Washington.

They could bring her back on duty if needed. And boy, would there be weeping and gnashing of teeth in the enemy camp.

[HardStarboard]

>>>The NATO could do it.<<<

NATO? Well maybe...after 6 months of conferences, diplomatic maneuvers and whining about the difficulty of reaching a consensus.

[HardStarboard]

>>>That does make this somewhat dicier - especially if those agents have assumed room temperature.<<<

They haven't "vanished"! They are sitting comfortably in a cozy chair, sipping sweet tea (or Scotch - depending on their preference), chatting with friendly members of MI5, the CIA or Mossad....or all three. They are very safe because they are in a "safe" house.

They are there because they are smarter than their contemporaries who are sitting in Tehran - waiting for hellfire!

[Longinus]

The loss of the F-117 to Serbian SAMs - they gave crashed fighter to the Russians - is the reason it wen obsolete - it is also a slow jet in comparison.

I am sure it is high tech enough for the Iranians - with that said I am not so gung ho to be a fan of what the defense contractors claims our weapons can do.

I am one of those conservatives that views the Military Industrial Complex as something to be weary about.

[Brit1]

Knowing the Royal Marines as I do and I can say that as the father of two serving.... therefore with some authority... my sympathies lay entirely with the Iranians .

[Brit1]

Knowing the Royal Marines as I do and I can say that as the father of two serving.... therefore with some authority... my sympathies lay entirely with the Iranians .

[American in Israel]

Sink every Iranian ship at sea.