Posted on 08/30/2002 9:24:15 AM PDT by MadIvan
An Arab man accused of trying to hijack a Londonbound plane with 189 people on board has links with supporters of Osama bin Laden, it emerged today.
The 29-year-old Tunisian-born man is being questioned by Swedish police after he was caught with a loaded pistol in his hand luggage as he tried to board a Ryanair flight from Stockholm Vasteras airport to Stansted.
He was one of a 20-strong party on their way to an Islamic festival in Birmingham for followers of Salafi - a fundamentalist sect whose teachings are popular with Bin Laden's terror group al Qaeda.
All the al Qaeda suspects held in Europe last year were Salafi followers. Shoebomber Richard Reid, the Brixton man who attempted to blow up a Boston-bound airliner, was also a follower.
British security experts today flew out to Sweden to help question the latest suspect. American John Walker Lindh, who was caught fighting with the Taliban after converting to Islam, is known to have studied Salafi.
Scotland Yard said anti-terrorist and Special Branch detectives were liaising closely with Swedish police and forces in Essex and the West Midlands.
The loaded gun was found in a washbag in the hand luggage of the man as he passed through a checkpoint to board Flight FR685 to Stansted.
People on board the Boeing 737-800 told today how heavily-armed police suddenly surrounded the group, who were dressed in traditional Arab clothing, and handcuffed them at gunpoint.
Passenger Elin Dermeborg, 27, a Swedish social worker visiting a friend in the UK, said: "We all got on the plane, then the crew came around and said 'We have got a group of people on the flight we don't feel secure with'.
"There was a group of about 20 Somalians, some were wearing Muslim clothing, and they said they were on their way to an Islamic meeting in the UK.
"Everyone had to get off the plane and one of the Somalians, a guy wearing a red T-shirt, was arrested by the police. They handcuffed him and took him away.
"We were told by the airport staff he was trying to get a gun on the plane. Everyone was very calm, no one panicked."
Police drove the men away from the airport in coaches. Some were made to kneel with their hands behind their heads as officers stood over them. The handgun was detected by a security scanner.
The remaining passengers were taken off the plane and photographed by security men. The plane was delayed for more than six hours.
The latest incident comes as a draft report prepared by UN experts warned the world that Bin Laden's al Qaeda network is "alive and well".
Security sources in London said: " There are already widespread fears that supporters of Bin Laden may try to commit a new atrocity to coincide with the anniversary of 11 September. This incident has illustrated the need for constant vigilance and as a result our state of alert has been heightened even further."
Chief Inspector Anders Freyksell of Vasteras police said: "The gun was a small pistol loaded with three or four bullets."
Police spokesman Ulf Palm added: "We believe he was going to hijack the plane." Mr Palm said the man was also charged with illegal possession of a firearm. The suspect was said today to have a criminal record in Sweden for violence and theft.
The man is a Swedish national but was originally from Tunisia. Some of the Arab group had already boarded the plane yesterday afternoon when the weapon was found.
When questioned the suspect told them he did not know anything about the gun in his bag. The man told Swedish police he was on his way to the conference in Birmingham.
The conference - which attracts up to 3,000 Muslims from across Europe - is organised by Salafi.com, an Islamic online book shop. One of the key aims of the conference is to try to dispel the notion of links between Islam and terrorism.
You're probably right...but only with the help of Bubba's network of thieves can they honestly say "there is not a SHRED of evidence to prove it!"
There are just too many of them at this point...and I'm not willing to give all of them the benefit of the doubt - IQ-wise. Satistically speaking, for at least the next decade there will be electronic trails, if not paper ones, to show ehre the money came from.
Besides, CAIR-PAC can't keep it's mouth shut, and Louie the Loonie just HAS to take a vacation from the mothership long enough to STOMP...err...STUMP....for his chosen, Muslim loving candidates, because he CRAVES the sight of HIS face plastered on TV. On the other hand, I wonder how long it'll be before even Muslim candidates run for their political lives, screaming like mad, whenever Louie's name is mentioned. Hopefully, it'll be a few years yet...preferably at least not until '04.
I've named a few on other threads than this...but I don't want to run the friendly tenor of this thread. OK...some Arab countries have...some African...and more then one European, in particualr, one BIG European nation which is struggling to fond a comfortable identity which fits all of it's people. 'Zat hint enough?
LOL, EXACTLY!
LOL...I'm drinking beer too...and smoking cigars...proofreading IS getting more difficult!
Maybe starting with a few works of Midaevil CHRISTIAN art that they find offensive to Islam.
Quite possibly.
I figure the sudden warning today about defective fuel pumps in 747 fuel tanks was not a coincidence...Call it a preplanned explanation if anything goes wrong...I'd say there must be some more shoulder-fired missles we can't account for.
I'd call it the work of dull-eyed DUHS suffering from $60 an hour burnout and thinking "doesn't matter WHAT I do, I'll get paid", whilst dreaming about their sportscars, or new chalets or whatever....AND crying because they have so many bills to pay and not enough money to pay them.
Yeah man....and may the Shwartz be Vith You!
I raise my last swallow of the night before turning in to bed...."Was good to have conversed with a kindred spirit. Good night & god bless you & yours"...CHEERS!
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.