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A shadowy figure aboard Flight 722
phillyBurbs.com ^ | 4/4/03 | J.D. Mullane

Posted on 04/04/2003 8:04:48 AM PST by LibertyAndJusticeForAll

The mysterious itinerary that caused Gayle Gould heart-pounding concern over President Bush’s safety arrived unexpectedly in her mail last week.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; War on Terror
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Someone had stolen her credit card number and charged airline tickets to her MasterCard.

The traveler booked a seat aboard US Airways Flight 722, which left Atlanta at 6:40 p.m. Sunday, March 23, and arrived in Philadelphia two hours later.

A return trip to Atlanta was booked a week later for March 31, departing Philadelphia at 8 a.m.

At the bottom of the itinerary was the traveler’s name: Far D. Nasir.

"I don’t know anyone with that name," said Gould, a Pennsbury High teacher who lives in Lower Makefield. "It’s a Middle Eastern name. That’s what concerned me."

Some will say it’s bigoted to draw sinister conclusions from a Middle Eastern name on a pair of illegally purchased airline tickets.

But let’s be grownups about the post-Sept. 11, sleeper-cell world in which we live.

It’s a fact that Middle Eastern terrorists engage in credit card fraud to fund their activities.

And the nation is at Code Orange which, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, means we face a "high risk of terrorist attacks."

"My worst-case suspicion? That [Nasir] is a terrorist who had come to Philadelphia to do harm. Maybe a suicide bomber," Gould said.

But when Gayle Gould tried to alert the authorities, they weren’t interested.

She called US Airways, who told her a boarding agent had, in fact, questioned Nasir about the discrepancy between his name and the one on the credit card.

Nasir told US Airways that Gould is his mother. He was allowed to board.

"I was furious that they did this," Gould said. "I had his name, his return flight number, even his seat number. But they could not pull him off the flight."

Now, maybe Nasir is just a small-time crook who scammed his way into a free flight. Maybe it’s not even a real name.

But if you’re a terrorist of the jihad variety who scouts or stalks big targets, Philadelphia was the place to be last week.

President Bush and Tom Ridge, the director of Homeland Security, were due for a visit.

The local press was awash in the controversy over terror-proofing Independence Hall, a juicy symbolic target mere feet from newly reopened Chestnut Street.

Gould called the FBI’s Philadelphia office. An agent said her information amounted to credit card fraud, which they don’t handle.

The agent referred her to the U.S. Secret Service.

A Secret Service agent told Gould the agency handles credit card fraud, but only if it’s a substantial loss, say $50,000 or more. Since her loss was $454, they’d pass.

She called the Pennsylvania State Police terrorist tip line. It was busy.

She called the Philadelphia International Airport police. She was told they would act only if the information came from a police source.

So, she called the Lower Makefield police.

"They couldn’t believe, with the information I had, that no one wanted to listen to me," she said.

She spent last Friday and the weekend trying to get someone to listen to her.

She e-mailed the White House, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the General Services Administration, all the Philadelphia TV stations.

She received two responses.

A man from the Pennsylvania homeland security office called late Saturday night to say he could do nothing with her information until 9 a.m. Monday — an hour after Nasir was due to depart Philadelphia — because the agency’s employees work "banker’s hours."

A GSA employee named Jim Zawada sent Gould an e-mail sympathizing with her, but said the issue was not under GSA’s jurisdiction.

She called the Philadelphia police again, who gave her two phone numbers, one for the FBI, which was disconnected, and the other for the airport cops, who again said they couldn’t do anything.

"All my husband and I wanted was for this guy to be pulled from the flight and questioned," she said.

Gould called US Airways again and asked if she could cancel the return flight ticket, since it was billed to her credit card.

The airline said she could.

She waited until 5 a.m. last Monday — three hours before Nasir was due to depart from the city — and canceled the ticket.

"I figured it would at least inconvenience him and delay him long enough so that if the police or anyone wanted to question him, they could," she said.

I made a few phone calls this week, too.

US Airways had no comment on the Nasir case. The FBI had no comment, either. A U.S. Secret Service agent told me Gould’s information was dismissed because "it’s so raw" — but then huffily took her home phone number from me and had another agent interview her Wednesday night.

I called the Philadelphia airport police. An officer checked reports for last Monday. No Far D. Nasir was stopped, questioned or arrested for credit card fraud.

Funny. We’ve all heard those stories of airport security screeners around the country indiscriminately yanking little old ladies from line to rudely search them for weapons.

But a mystery man with a Middle Eastern name travelling illegally in the United States to a city where the president is set to visit during wartime gets a pass.

I wish the people paid to protect us from terrorism would take this stuff as seriously as Gayle Gould does.

But I’ll bet Far D. Nasir, wherever he is, is quite happy they don’t.

1 posted on 04/04/2003 8:04:48 AM PST by LibertyAndJusticeForAll
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To: LibertyAndJusticeForAll
Amazing story. All she would have had to do is report to FreeRepublic. We would have swung into action.
2 posted on 04/04/2003 8:08:43 AM PST by doug from upland (Send Al Sharpton 5 bucks so he can wreak havoc in his party)
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To: OldDominion; HalfFull
Get a load of this.
3 posted on 04/04/2003 8:09:36 AM PST by Al B.
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To: JohnHuang2
Get a load of this!
4 posted on 04/04/2003 8:17:10 AM PST by jriemer (We are a Republic not a Democracy)
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To: LibertyAndJusticeForAll
UN-FREEPING BELIEVABLE!
5 posted on 04/04/2003 8:20:08 AM PST by Dubh_Ghlase
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To: doug from upland
you know, you are right- I bet some freepers would have solved this
6 posted on 04/04/2003 8:20:20 AM PST by Mr. K
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To: LibertyAndJusticeForAll
What did the secret service mean "it's so raw" ?

BANKERS hours??? Is this what homeland security is reduced to?

I want my nailclippers back!!!!
7 posted on 04/04/2003 8:27:45 AM PST by SarahW
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To: LibertyAndJusticeForAll
I believe every word of it. I had a Mid East person use my credit card...No one listened to me either.
8 posted on 04/04/2003 8:32:02 AM PST by Calpernia (http://www.politicsandprotest.org/attack.swf)
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To: LibertyAndJusticeForAll
Big mistake, should have told the Feeble Bureau of Insolence that you suspected the guy was that redneck Rudolph. They would have mustered the troops.
9 posted on 04/04/2003 8:34:03 AM PST by cynicom
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To: doug from upland
In 5 minutes I found some info that could have been helpful. It's not Far D. Nasir, it's Far'd Nasir. Played high school basketball in Philly and is called "Gillie da Kid" in rap circles. He's a member of a group called "Major Figgas" which was formed in Philadelphia and went to Cabrini College. Do a Google search and you find out alot.

Æ
10 posted on 04/04/2003 8:41:02 AM PST by AgentEcho (If you're in a fair fight you've done something wrong.)
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To: doug from upland
Am I wrong, or isn't this what we are spending all that money for? Security? I applaud this woman who tried to do the right thing and our government should be ashamed of itself.
11 posted on 04/04/2003 8:45:51 AM PST by freekitty
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To: LibertyAndJusticeForAll
Gould sounds like a Jewish name. Isn't that ironic?
12 posted on 04/04/2003 8:46:12 AM PST by mrfixit514
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To: LibertyAndJusticeForAll
Appalling but not surprising. The Federal police (FBI, ATF, etc) are just as arrogant as the liberal media. They assume that the people are dumber than dirt.

This goes to show that we cannot depend on the government for our safety. It's up to us as individuals. That's why I have stored drinking water, food, cloths, meds, guns and ammo. But in the end, it up to God who lives and dies.

Stay Alert. Stay Armed. Stay safe. God Bless.
13 posted on 04/04/2003 8:49:06 AM PST by appalachian_dweller (Those who sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither.)
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To: Alamo-Girl
ping
14 posted on 04/04/2003 8:53:34 AM PST by anymouse
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To: SarahW
BANKERS hours??? Is this what homeland security is reduced to?

Looks like it, but this was aparently the state office, not the federal one. Not that that's any particular comfort.

15 posted on 04/04/2003 8:54:54 AM PST by El Gato
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To: LibertyAndJusticeForAll
Wouldn't you know they worked bankers hours. Pitiful. Long before 9/11 I had my passport stolen from a government diplomatic package somewhere in Russia and no one lifted a finger but I'm not really surprised things haven't improved.
16 posted on 04/04/2003 8:57:59 AM PST by mtbopfuyn
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To: Al B.
Get a load of this

It's a miracle that we haven't been hit with another 9/11 type disaster.

17 posted on 04/04/2003 8:58:21 AM PST by HalfFull
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To: doug from upland
We're in deep, deep trouble...it's only a matter of time until another 9/11.

With this kind of "Keystone Cops" behavior...man, we are so in trouble...

Tom Ridge...the "Barney Fife" of Homeland Security...what a joke...

18 posted on 04/04/2003 9:03:29 AM PST by Im Your Huckleberry
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To: LibertyAndJusticeForAll
Ane as a loyal American we are suppose to keep our eyes and ears open for what? If we see something and can't report it we might as well just go about our business and "let" the government "protect" us, after all they are the "experts".

This lady should have reminded the government officals that the FBI and the other government agencies did not find the sniper either, an alert truck driver did.
19 posted on 04/04/2003 9:03:58 AM PST by notpoliticallycorewrecked
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To: notpoliticallycorewrecked
Ane = And
20 posted on 04/04/2003 9:04:51 AM PST by notpoliticallycorewrecked
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