Report confirms terror dry run

Washington Times ^

[Sub-Driver]

Report confirms terror dry run

By Audrey Hudson THE WASHINGTON TIMES Published May 30, 2007

Download the inspector general report (PDF)

A newly released inspector general report backs eyewitness accounts of suspicious behavior by 13 Middle Eastern men on a Northwest Airlines flight in 2004 and reveals several missteps by government officials, including failure to file an incident report until a month after the matter became public.

According to the Homeland Security report, the "suspicious passengers," 12 Syrians and their Lebanese-born promoter, were traveling on Flight 327 from Detroit to Los Angeles on expired visas. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services extended the visas one week after the June 29, 2004, incident.

The report also says that a background check in the FBI's National Crime Information Center database, which was performed June 18 as part of a visa-extension application, produced "positive hits" for past criminal records or suspicious behavior for eight of the 12 Syrians, who were traveling in the U.S. as a musical group.

In addition, the band's promoter was listed in a separate FBI database on case investigations for acting suspiciously aboard a flight months earlier. He was detained a third time in September on a return trip to the U.S. from Istanbul, the details of which were redacted.

The inspector general criticized the Homeland Security officials for not reporting the incident to the Homeland Security Operations Center (HSOC), which serves as the nation's nerve center for information sharing and domestic incident management.

The report comes three years after the incident, which was not officially acknowledged until a month later, after The Washington Times reported passenger and marshal complaints that the incident resembled a dry run for a terrorist attack. After reviewing the report, air marshals say it confirms their earlier suspicions.

[Lurker]

Maybe this time we’ll take the Sentries at the Towers out and execute them as we should have done the first time.

Giuliani and Clinton? I'm right there with you.

If (when) we get hit again, the people to blame are those, who by their official inaction and political correctness, have allowed the enemy through the gate.

Of both parties I hasten to add.

They should be treated appropriately.

Agreed.

L

[okie01]

I won’t blame the press for this one.

But, now that the Washington Times has broken the story, let's see what the MSM does with it.

If anything...

[Eaker]

n00bies!

[abigailsmybaby]

Am I alone in thinking that Homeland Security is a COLOSSAL waste of our money?

I think we need another agency to protect us from HS. just kidding :)

[EBH]

Two different stories...

WWS was a United Flight.

[Squantos]

Don’t start with me Mister....I know how to get myself banned ya know !.......:o)

[Squantos]

Air conditioning is on .....we’re nQQbies !

[Republicus2001]

I remember at the time how it was immediately dismissed as some kook lady’s ravings...

[Travis McGee]

That’s us!

[Eaker]

LOL!!

Yer nutz!

[Eaker]

I guess that should be ..........

LQL!

[miele man]

You are incorrect. It occurred exactly as written. For more information, do a search on Annie Jacobson. She wrote extensively on this issue. She was on the plane at the time.

I think your blind trust in security officials is not well founded either. You seem to be completely 180 degrees out of phase on this particular issue and incident.

[miele man]

Thanks for the ping. I heard Annie Jacobsen (or a part of her interview) on Brian and the Judge this morning. Maybe our fellow Americans will soon wake the hell up and start paying attention to what is going on around them.

[Lorianne]

Remember criticizm of the passenger who was characterized as “hysterical” for reporting the odd behaviour of the group?

http://www.donaldsensing.com/2004/07/air-marshals-not-worried-aboard-flight.html

[netmilsmom]

In the original article, there is another lady crying. I would like to hear from her.

Something was up.

[netmilsmom]

Check this one out...
http://www.womenswallstreet.com/columns/column.aspx?aid=846&p=1

[the OlLine Rebel]

I only 1st heard about this today on the Laura Ingraham show.

“...the 12 Syrians, who were traveling in the U.S. as a musical group. ...In addition, the band’s promoter was listed in a separate FBI database...”

OMG! ROFL! She had the producer playing “Come on Get Happy” the whole segment as they’re referring to these guys as the “Syrian Partridge Family”!!! It was too funny!