'The target must be Air Force One'

The Sun (U.K.) ^ | 08/13/03 | STEVE KENNEDY and ANDY WILKS

[Pokey78]

A BRITISH arms dealer was seized by the FBI yesterday for plotting to help terrorists shoot down a US plane with a missile.

The man was arrested in America after an amazing sting involving MI5, MI6, US and Russian authorities.

The London-based dealer said he wanted to target George Bush’s presidential plane Air Force One, it was reported. The dealer shipped the sophisticated weapon from Russia to Baltimore — and believed he was selling it to a Muslim fanatic.

But his buyer was really an undercover FBI agent — and the arms dealer is heard on tape saying the missile was to be used to shoot down a jet.

Investigative reporter Tom Mangold said the FBI agent told the dealer he wanted to attack a passenger jet.

Target ... plot against Bush's jet and chopper
Pictures: REUTERS

But in a grim echo of the 9/11 terror attacks, the dealer allegedly said he wanted to target Mr Bush.

The FBI denied Air Force One or the presidential helicopter were the targets. The dealer reportedly bought the shoulder-held Igla missile for £85,000 from corrupt Russian factory bosses, who promised him 50 more.

But Russian spies were on to him five months ago, and President Vladimir Putin allowed the FBI to send an undercover agent to St Petersburg.

The deadly missile arrived at Baltimore — under FBI surveillance — after being disguised as medical equipment.

Meanwhile the dealer and his wife flew to New York on Sunday on a 1.30pm BA flight from Heathrow — followed by undercover agents.

Raid ... FBI seize evidence in New York yesterday

He was arrested after he met his “buyer” at a hotel in Newark, New Jersey. Two Afghan gem dealers were also held on suspicion of money laundering. A senior US law official said more arrests were expected.

Last night FBI officials conducted a raid in midtown Manhattan, New York, to seize financial records and cash in connection with the case. Scotland Yard anti-terrorist cops were last night raiding addresses in London. The arms dealer, said to be in his sixties and of Indian origin, is due in court in Newark today.

TV news channel CNN last night claimed the man had previously sold weapons to al-Qa’ida terrorists.

Groups linked to al-Qa’ida have made several recent attempts to shoot down jets — and used a surface-to-air missile in a failed attack on an Israeli jet last November.

Experts described Igla missiles as modern, easy to use and the ideal weapon for terrorists targeting aircraft.

Lethal weapon ... soldier
armed with missile launcher

The SA-18 weighs just 19.5kg when loaded, but can fire a 3.5kg warhead and hit a rapidly-moving target at altitudes of up to 3,000 metres. They have a range of 5km and it is believed one was used in the shooting-down of a Russian troop-carrying helicopter in Chechnya last year.

The missile in Baltimore is thought to be one of eight that went missing months ago.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office last night refused to comment on any possible links between the plot and al-Qa’ida terrorists.

He said: “We can confirm a Briton has been arrested but we cannot give any details of the operation until it is fully completed.”

• LIBYA has agreed to take responsibility for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, diplomats said last night.

  Under the deal, agreed with Britain and the US, Libya will pay compensation to the families of the 270 people who died in return for a lifting of UN sanctions.
  

[The Mayor]

Bump!

[CedarDave]

And wasn't it Peter Jennings who on 9/11 speculated that the President was "hiding" by moving around in AF-1 to secure Air Force bases and those destinations were unknown to the general public until after arrival? Who knew then whether these terrorists had missles ready to launch at the plane. A very prudent precaution and in hindsight, with this story, it could have been a sorry reality.

[Lancey Howard]

I wonder how this weapon compares with a Stinger? It seems to me that most people assume it was a Stinger that brought down that passenger jet over Long Island, but it sounds like it could just as easily have beem this weapon.

[ThePythonicCow]

I suspect that it was a US Military missile that took down TWA Flight 800 - in a failed attempt to stop a terrorist in a bomb laden private jet from taking it out with a mid-air explosion at close range.

[JoJo Gunn]

Yes, and Richard Cohen of the Washington Compost wrote something similar in a piece of used toilet tissue called "War Behind Schedule".

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A45080-2001Nov5&notFound=true

"Whatever the case, this war appears to be behind schedule. The administration, of course, will not say so. But this administration is already operating from a credibility deficit. It is hard to forget that concoction of fibs trotted out to explain and excuse Bush's hop-scotching the country on Sept. 11. Air Force One itself had been targeted, it was said; a credible threat, we were told. As it turned out, neither the threat nor the administration's account of it was credible."

No Leftist licestorm who chanted "AWOL Bush" has ever acknowledged that if Gore were the President the same rules in place that the CIA, FBI, FEMA, Secret Service, NORAD, you name it, had, whatever they are, would have been in effect.

[Alberta's Child]

I don't think it could have been either missile -- TWA Flight 800 was flying too high to have been brought down by any known shoulder-launched missile.

[Husker24]

They couldnt have taken out Air Force One with this thing, AF-1 probably has every counter measure known to man on that thing.

[TomGuy]

There was a story or report a year or so ago about the countermeasures AF-1 has. The measures it has would be prohibitive, cost wise, and understandably, for normal airplanes.

[SCHROLL]

It would depend upon the distance the missile would have to travel. The countermeasures would take time to be deployed, depending on the distance involved, they could be useless in some cases. If it takes five seconds for them to deploy and it takes three seconds for the misslie to reach it's target...well, I guess you see the point.

[Uncle Miltie]

"The arms dealer, said to be in his sixties and of Indian origin, is due in court in Newark today.

TV news channel CNN last night claimed the man had previously sold weapons to al-Qa’ida terrorists."

Plenty of Muslims in India. Sound like a real spigot has been turned off. Unfortunately hundreds more exist.

Keep up the good work, boys.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

...In a new Time of War...

...In a new Century...

...With an Enemy that is now...

...Just around the Corner...

...And up your Street...

...President BUSH has promised FREEDOM's coming to the oppressed peoples & cultures of the World as our own best Self-Defense against future Terrrorist Attacks.

...Long ago HILLARY RODHAM & BILL CLINTON backed our Terrorist Enemy HO CHI MINH's Communist Victory over FREEDOM for a then Free South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

...During the 1990's HILLARY RODHAM & BILL CLINTON refused 3 Offers from the Sudan to bring our No. 1 Terrorist Enemy OSAMA bin LADEN to the custody of a Jail & Trial that would have prevented the Attacks on us on September 11, 2001.

...President BUSH is a Champion of FREEDOM and is producing it worldwide, something HILLARY RODAH & BILL CLINTON just cannot stand =

...President BUSH is now in very grave danger as a result.

[amom]

Well done!

Thanks for the ping.

[Frank_2001]

It IS excellent work! Unfortunately the PC media is not too quick to reveal the religion (of peace;) of the arms dealer... IMO he ain't Hindu!

[Atchafalaya]

How about a "Standard", ship launched SAM from one of the US Naval vessels in the area; those have a range of something like 100mi +. That would work!

[xrp]

A shoulder fired SAM wouldn't dent AF 1, even if it got through the countermeasures that AF 1 has at its disposal.

[xrp]

Uhm...yeah.

[Eurotwit]

There are in fact more muslims in India than in Pakistan.

[xrp]

The Standard SM-1, SM-2MR, and SM-3 SAMs are 13 feet long. How would you fire those from your shoulder? I hope you have a fireproof suit!

[Moose4]

Shoulder-launched, yeah. Ship-launched, that's a different story. I'm no tinfoiler, but I have often wondered about the possibility of a Standard missile from one of the Navy ships on maneuvers in the area near where TWA 800 went down.

The SA-18/SA-16 Igla is a descendant of the old SA-7 Grail, which was the Soviet bloc's first shoulder-launched infrared SAM. I guess the new ones like the Igla are probably on a par with our Stinger, or close to it. Their warheads are relatively small, a few pounds, but a few pounds of military explosive detonating next to a jetliner's turbofan engine would not be pretty.

}:-)4