NORTHWEST FLIGHT 327 (Reinhard)

The Oregonian ^ | June 3, 2007 | David Reinhard

[jazusamo]

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Here's what we know happened on Northwest Flight 327 back on June 29, 2004:

Thirteen Middle Eastern men -- 12 from Syria, one a permanent U.S. resident from Lebanon -- had one-way tickets for the weekday nonstop from Detroit to Los Angeles. The men, a musical group and their U.S. promoter, took seats all over the plane. Takeoff was delayed when one man with a limp refused to move from an emergency row, pretending he did not understand English.

In flight, one or two of the men walked the aisle, seeming to count passengers. One rushed to the front of the plane in the direction of the cockpit, peeling off at the last moment into the first-class restroom. There he remained for 20 minutes. One of the men went into a lavatory with a large McDonald's bag and made a thumbs-up sign to another man upon returning. Another made a "slashing motion across his throat, appearing to say "No." Several of the men spent "excessive time" in the lavatories, and one returned to his seat reeking of toilet bowl chemicals. Several of the men got up when the seat belt sign came on in preparation for landing.

We know all this, not from one of the Flight 327 passengers, though passenger Annie Jacobsen did post an Internet article on the behavior she witnessed and the terror she felt that day. We know all this and more, because of a recent report by the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security -- a report only made public thanks to The Washington Times' doggedness over two years.

When Jacobsen recounted these suspicious doings a few weeks later and suggested they might be a "dry run" for a terror hit, she became the issue. The government not only denied anything was amiss -- nothing here but a bunch of Syrian musicians on their way to a gig, move along now -- but air marshals let it be known that she was really more of a concern than the 13 men. And that was the least of it. Some writers mocked Jacobsen as a hysteric, a bigot and a bad writer to boot.

The inspector general report didn't look into her writing, but it makes clear she was on to something.

It turns out that air marshals were concerned about the men even before they boarded. Six arrived at the gate as a group and proceeded to split and act as if they didn't know each other. An air marshal said they were sweaty and nervous. Their behavior was, according to one marshal, "unusual." It also turns out that Jacobsen and other passengers weren't the first folks on the plane troubled by the men's behavior. Well before Jacobsen approached the flight attendants about the men, the attendants and marshals were on the case. Law-enforcement officials were waiting for Flight 327 when it landed. They detained all 13 for a short time, releasing them after questioning only two.

Here it gets even more disturbing.

Homeland Security officials failed to report the incident to the Homeland Security Operations Center, the nation's nexus for information sharing and domestic incident management. This despite earlier FBI warnings that terrorists were planning to use ready-to-build bombs that could be assembled in airplane bathrooms. This despite an FBI warning in April 2004 that terrorists may try to use cultural and sports visas to enter the United States. This despite the fact that the Syrians were traveling on entertainment visas.

Not until two days after the Washington Times reported on the flight and White House terrorism officials asked about the incident did Homeland Security folks enter it in the Operations Center's logs.

The incident never made it into the government's National Threat and Incident Database.

In a background check for a visa-extension prior to the flight, eight of the 12 Syrians had "positive hits" for past criminal records or suspicious behavior.

Only when government agencies started investigating the incident did they discover the promoter had been involved in a similar incident with seven other men on a January Frontier Airlines flight from Houston to San Francisco. He was detained in September on a return trip from Turkey, the report says, though the details are redacted.

Was this a dry run or an aborted attack? The Washington Times showed the redacted report to former air marshals. Their conclusion: It could be either. In addition, Flight 327 is not the first such probe.

It hardly matters.

The inspector general's report reveals a system breakdown -- if there was a system to break down. And the fact that the incident was deemed worthy of investigation only after media reports and White House inquiries suggests it might be worse than that.

"I think it now merits an investigation of a cover-up," terrorism expert Steve Emerson told me week.

And how.

Here's something real Congress should investigate.

And Annie Jacobsen should be the first witness.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

It would seem that the Feds prefer to watch these guys rather that arresting and deporting them. Dicey game.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

One thing I haven’t heard about. Did they have their instruments checked in baggage? Did they carry them on? Did they even have instruments? If they had them, could they play them? I’ve had to buy flight cases for my stuff, as the airlines won’t let me carry them on board.

[Grampa Dave]

David has a good history of good editorials, and it was a pleasure to repost this great one.

Thanks for the post.

[jazusamo]

Good questions...In all the articles I’ve read on this I don’t recall that being addressed.

[Grampa Dave]

“”Only when government agencies started investigating the incident did they discover the promoter had been involved in a similar incident with seven other men on a January Frontier Airlines flight from Houston to San Francisco.”

If the mediots weren’t focused on lies and spins to harm America and GW, they would have been all over this.

That would force HLS to be on its toes and not to bury PC incidents like this.

Instead the mediots continue to lie and worry about the civil rights of those who would kill innocent Americans.
This is why I cheer each day when articles are posted about more layoffs in the MSM.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The LA Times Sat edition (My neighbors copy) had a feel good ...whining .....article about all of the departures from the news Room and Columnists departing because of the terrible layoffs at the paper....

[ANGGAPO]

The image of the ACLU casts a long shadow. Perhaps what we need is revisit new laws relating to Treason.

[Grampa Dave]

One of my neighbors, who claims to be an old fashioned D asked me to gather his mail and take his newspapers, the LA Slimes, Ny Slimes, SF GayRhonicle and the WSJ while he and his wife were on vacation for a week.

When they returned, I took over their mail and two grocery bags of unopened fishwraps. He said, “Why didn’t you keep and read the newspapers?’

My response, “You couldn’t pay me enough to open those hate America fishwraps, let alone, read them!”

[redlegplanner]

Remember, D.H.S. is properly pronounced “Duhs”

[lesser_satan]

Counter terrorism, Shrub style:

My fellow Americans, You are the first line of defense against terrorism. If you see anything suspicious, notify law enforcement immediately.

We will then dismiss you as a hysteric and publicly humiliate you for your good-faith efforts. We will probably even lie about the incident to make you look more foolish.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to helping millions of illegal aliens destroy the country. Any who oppose me are nativist, racist, un-patriotic bigots who kick puppies and love terrorists.

[lesser_satan]

Chertoff is a jerk-off, and so is Shrub. See my previous post.

[ga medic]

http://www.snopes.com/politics/crime/skyterror.asp

Check out this article for some additional information. The air marshals from flight 327 are interviewed. It also includes information on the investigation that was completed on the men. The men were musicians, did have a job in Las Vegas, were followed to their hotel. Their performance was even watched.

According to the air marshalls, Annie Jacobson was the biggest threat on the plane, not the Syrian musicians. There are plenty of terrorists out there, and much to fear in reality. It is silly to continue perpetuating stories that have been disproven months ago. This had nothing to do with terrorism.

[mvpel]

This is so frightening! WTH is wrong with our government right now?

It's the government, what do you expect?

[jazusamo]

It is silly to continue perpetuating stories that have been disproven months ago.

Silly? I don't know that it's silly, especially when new info comes out such as the excerpt below from one of the two articles linked at post #3.

Initially, Homeland Security officials tried to downplay its seriousness and suggested that other passengers had overreacted. But the report corroborates the passengers' accounts and suggests that what took place was a dry run for a terrorist attack -- which first was reported by Audrey Hudson of The Washington Times.

[lesser_satan]

You are wrong. You have been lied to. There is new information out that corroborates everything Jacobson said.

I don't believe a g*ddamn word the Shrub administration or his worthless, lying tool Michael Jerkoff says anymore. The lies about this incident, the lies about the Comprehensive-F$%k-Over-The-People-And-Ruin-The-Country Shamnesty Bill, who the hell knows what else we're being lied to about?

Before you call me a troll, I've been here since '04 and was a steadfast Bush supporter up until the last month or so.

[ga medic]

I do not see how any of this changes the actual investigation or the actual statements made by the air marshals that were on the plane.

The report that supposedly changes everything ended with the information that the men were NOT terrorists.

[ga medic]

Please point out to me the “evidence” that this is a dry run. I have read the entire article, and am not seeing anything but a bunch of administrative problems. I see nothing that proves anything other than that the air marshall system needs to be refined.

[ga medic]

You need to relax. I never thought about calling you a troll. Too much stress is bad for you. They have medication for this.

[alicewonders]

I tell you what - if I were on a flight & people were acting as described, I would be totally stressed out about it! It reminds me alot of the conduct of the 6 imans that were asked to leave a flight recently. These people know exactly what they are doing - they know they are scaring people when they do this & they know that the ACLU will jump to their defense & soon they will be able to do whatever they want on a flight or wherever. This is all very well thought out & you shouldn’t try to downplay it.

[Yaelle]

I don't know what the heck they're trying to push, but there was nothing "home-grown" about either of these two cases.

And the easier we make it for citizenship, the more "home grown" terrorism there will be. I wonder why we couldn't start profiling Muslims in line for citizenship. Am I still allowed to wonder that?