Posted on 04/08/2010 9:57:49 AM PDT by Nachum
DENVER (AP) - Qatar's U.S. ambassador rushed to the defense of his envoy whom authorities say grabbed a surreptitious smoke in a jetliner's bathroom, sparking a bomb scare and widespread alert that sent jet fighters scrambling to intercept the Denver-bound flight.
But no explosives were found and authorities speaking on condition of anonymity said they don't think he was trying to hurt anyone during Wednesday's scare and he will not be criminally charged.
Qatar's U.S. ambassador, Ali Bin Fahad Al-Hajri, cautioned against a rush to judgment.
"This diplomat was traveling to Denver on official embassy business on my instructions, and he was certainly not engaged in any threatening activity," he said in a statement on his Washington embassy's Web site. "The facts will reveal that this was a mistake."
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.myway.com ...
He won’t be charged...how could he? He’s a diplomat anyway, so how could he be?
Ironically, being from an Islamic country, he might face serious punishement for smoking, but might be considered a hero and “martyr” if he actually had ignited a shoe bomb.
“said they don’t think he was trying to hurt anyone during Wednesday’s scare and he will not be criminally charged.”
Hey, what about 2nd hand smoke? Can’t they get him on that? I didn’t think exemption from that could even extend to diplomatic immunity...
Persona Non Grata.
Regardless, and it is not racist to say, these folks are not as sophisticated as we give them credit for.
Middle Easterners smoke like steam engines. In public. Everywhere. Islamic countrties have some of the most laid-back smoking restrctions in the world.
I guess it's not against Islam, or if it is, most of 'em just ignore it.
Watch what the other hand is doing...
Memo to Self: Don't trust diplomats any farther than you can through them.
Sure sets up some interesting scenarios.
I laugh when stories about Qatar are voiced. The “journalists”, trying so had to be correct usually call it ‘gutter’. More a description than a name.
Was he smoking a Camel?
LOL!
It was a practice run for an explosive cigarette, you know, one of those little wooden powder splinters we used to put on our father`s cigs and it blew up in his face. yup- But he kept on smoking.
Maybe it was like Harold and Kumar (some four letter words in this movie scene).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42M-_GJvpGM
How did he light the cigarette? I though matches and lighters were not allowed on board.
“It was a practice run for an explosive cigarette, you know, one of those little wooden powder splinters we used to put on our father`s cigs and it blew up in his face.”
I find humor in the fact that “smoking in the boys room” caused F-15’s to be scrambled.
The world used to be a simpler place.....;)
Maybe he had concealed matches in his shoes.
Yes, the facts did indeed reveal that.
The mistake was on the part of the idiot that smoked in the restroom (in violation of federal law) and the joked about committing an act of terror.
In theory. In practice it would be pretty easy to bring a pack of matched onboard.
Especially if I had a diplomatic parcel to put them in.
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