Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

French police identify suspect in Paris-Miami flight as a Sri Lankan national
AP ^ | 12-23-01 | PAMELA SAMPSON

Posted on 12/23/2001 6:12:01 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer

Edited on 04/13/2004 2:39:16 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

PARIS (AP) -- French police said Sunday the man who boarded a jetliner with possible explosives hidden in his shoes was a Sri Lankan national traveling on a British passport.

American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami was forced to make an emergency landing in Boston on Saturday after the passenger, identified by French police as Tariq Raja, tried to ignite what authorities called an improvised explosive in his sneakers.


(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-93 next last
To: Oldeconomybuyer
the man who boarded a jetliner with possible explosives

Until the possible part of "possible explosives" is revealed what possible interest could there be in this person?

41 posted on 12/23/2001 6:51:40 AM PST by MosesKnows
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TheOtherOne
>I suggested we use bomb sniffing pigs

PLUS, they would be an unpleasant experience for islamic extremist!

42 posted on 12/23/2001 6:51:58 AM PST by pollwatcher
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Dane
From PMSNBC's website:

Authorities said the man’s passport was almost certainly false. The radio news network Europe One reporting that the man told FBI officials that his real name was Addel Him Rarrajid and that he came from Sri Lanka.  However, French police on Sunday identified the man as Tariq Raja, a Sri Lankan national traveling on a British passport.
       The French police, who opened an investigation on Sunday into the incident, said Raja’s identity and nationality were learned from sources in the United States. The police would not specify whether the information came from U.S. law enforcement authorities, government aviation officials or American Airlines.
       The Boston Globe reported Sunday that although the man told a passenger that he was Jamaican, a passenger said he was told that Reid had conversed with a crew member in Arabic. But an FBI official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the man was not of Middle Eastern descent, contrary to earlier speculation.
       Europe One reported that FBI officials found a map of Brussels in the man’s possession, with crosses marked on certain streets, leading investigators to believe that he had spent some time in Brussels. Authorities in Belgium were investigating his activities in that country.

43 posted on 12/23/2001 6:52:11 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: EggsAckley
Too ugly to get any dates so he opted for the 72 virgins???
44 posted on 12/23/2001 6:52:50 AM PST by OldFriend
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: chainsaw
I don't know anything about C-4 explosive. But from what I have been reading on the FR threads, he had enough C-4 in his shoe to blow a hole into the center fuel tank over which he was sitting. You don't need much C-4 when you have several hundred gallons of jet fuel under you.

Good point! Maybe the days of online "pick your seat assignment" should be over. If not, at least the security should carefully profile seat assignments in "critical areas".

From the pics of this dude I wouldn't have let him within 3 miles of an airliner. No bags checked or carry-ons on a transatlantic flight? "Well he had a passport ..." - from Holland where they recently had thousands of blank passports stolen ... Looks like they hammered his left eye pretty good. Way to go guys!

45 posted on 12/23/2001 6:58:40 AM PST by Tunehead54
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: golitely
Why... whatever do you mean? John Walker was merely an irresponsible youth who was pursuing his religious beliefs, looking to experience diversity with the peaceful Taliban and was wrongfully attacked by imperialist american yankee running dogs without just cause... {barf}

;0)

46 posted on 12/23/2001 6:58:52 AM PST by Chad Fairbanks
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer
I say racial profiling is the only answer! If in doubt, throw 'em off the plane, better yet don't let them on in the first place, we need to get more aggressive in detering these people.
47 posted on 12/23/2001 7:02:56 AM PST by Die_Hard Conservative Lady
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: MosesKnows
Substance in shoe of passenger on flight diverted to Boston tests positive for explosives -AP Breaking News
(12-23) 07:56 PST BOSTON (AP) -- A substance in the sneakers of a passenger whose attempts to ignite them forced a jetliner to land in Boston has tested positive for explosives, The Associated Press has learned. The man on Paris-...
48 posted on 12/23/2001 7:03:32 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: ChicagoRepublican
Talk show just said he IS Muslem. Dollars to dog dirt he's one on bin ladens guys.
49 posted on 12/23/2001 7:10:21 AM PST by KSCITYBOY
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer
And this is where NO RACIAL PROFILING gets you. This guy's mere appearance should have rung alarm bells all over the place... instead they allowed him to board the plane. From what I've read of the passengers' response to the stewardess's call for help the passengers had already profiled the guy and had planned accordingly. Good on them (bad on the government "security" efforts/jokes/farce).
50 posted on 12/23/2001 7:13:39 AM PST by waxhaw
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: golitely
Western culture is a threat to radical islam therefore this is not about country it's about our culture and Christians being seen as the great satan to these morons. The US represents the "great satan" to these people - They need to be eliminated ASAP
51 posted on 12/23/2001 7:14:40 AM PST by KSCITYBOY
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: TheOtherOne
I am shocked that this guy, with the way he looks, heightened suspicions and everything that he was not immediately suspected and inspected.

Political correctness prevents people from having good sense. Anyone who boarded the plane with someone who looks like this guy deserved to blow up in the plane for being ignorant about current events and reality. Anyone who thinks frisking American grannies is going to prevent more tragedies also doesn't have much sense.

52 posted on 12/23/2001 7:21:14 AM PST by FITZ
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: chainsaw
If that SOB bit me the FBI would have a hard time getting any information out of him for a couple of weeks, and they would arrest me for attempted murder.

Quite right,kinda hard to give a statement with no fu***ng teeth.

53 posted on 12/23/2001 7:23:05 AM PST by cardinal4
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: afz400
As long as they let individuals who look like this on airplanes, I will not fly. If this guy doesn't look suspicious, then who does?

Exactly,the French USED to be pretty good at this security stuff.If this guy isnt a profile,I dont know who is.

54 posted on 12/23/2001 7:26:24 AM PST by cardinal4
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer
A substance in the sneakers of a passenger whose attempts to ignite

If the plane had exploded, we'd have been told it was nothing more than some kind of malfunction. We'd be shown pictures of the tail and told it was just another plane with a tail that fell off during the flight.

55 posted on 12/23/2001 7:31:01 AM PST by FITZ
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 48 | View Replies]

To: Tunehead54
Guest on Fox right now praising the crew for actions. He can't bring himself to say anything about the passengers though.
56 posted on 12/23/2001 7:39:04 AM PST by CindyDawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: Trust but Verify
This is how you post a link:

< a href="put the web address between the quotes"> link </a>

57 posted on 12/23/2001 7:40:02 AM PST by TruthShallSetYouFree
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer
identified by French police as Tariq Raja

Interesting. He may be Sri Lankan, but Tariq is a Pakistani name.

58 posted on 12/23/2001 7:40:11 AM PST by angkor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: laconic
And was he winking at you too!
59 posted on 12/23/2001 7:41:26 AM PST by tiki
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: FITZ
If the plane had exploded, we'd have been told it was nothing more than some kind of malfunction.

You got that right.

60 posted on 12/23/2001 7:42:15 AM PST by Travis McGee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-93 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson