Flights From Paris to U.S. Cancelled

MSNBC | December 24, 2003

[TomGuy]

A flight from Paris direct to LA would enter North America near or over Newfoundland and enter the US near or over North Dakota. It wouldn't go near NY or Chicago, and wouldn't go over any major city until it nears LA.

Assuming terrorist(s) had not infiltrated the staff and was not piloting the plane....true. But a terrorist who was piloting the plane????

[johnnyjumpstart]

Reuters is reporting that the flights were cancelled after intelligence indicated that terrorists had in fact infiltrated Air France. In addition, MSNBC has reported that a check of the passenger lists on one of the flights turned up a known terrorist suspect.

[usafsk]

Possible that AQ had infiltrated baggage handling and either loaded bombs on board, or even better, loaded armed terrorists into the pressurized cargo hold. From this hold it is easy to access the passenger cabin of a 747, 777, or A340. Either way, we all should pause a moment while chomping our roast beast tomorrow and thank the often-criticized gov't employees (CIA, TSA, FBI, whomever) that worked this.

The Iranian angle is more interesting. The dust-up between the US and Iran over AQ, with the Saudis weighing in our side recently, is the important. The Iranians know that if we get hit while senior AQs are in their country, they are toast. They may be playing ball just enough to keep out of trouble. But if we catch some of these bastards, they might just blow the whistle on any Iranian assistance. The war on terror goes on.

GBA and GBGWB

[Dog]

How much fuel would a plane making the Paris to LA run have left when it reach our east coast...

Any FR pilots on this thread???

[don-o]

Oh good grief, get over your self-righteousness.

Why? So I can sit with "we" on Mount Olympus and hurl lightning bolts?

No, I'll just be "me" and expose foolisheness when it slaps me in the face.

[ravingnutter]

The $60,000 chemical warheads found by Kuwait three months ago?

Funny you should mention that...I just posted yesterday about that...I suspect it was swept under the rug...

Kuwait's Interior Ministry has denied a newspaper report that security officials foiled an attempt to smuggle US$60 million worth of chemical weapons and biological warheads from Iraq to a European country. Maj. Adel al-Hashash, deputy manager of public relations at the Interior Ministry, told The Associated Press Sunday that the ministry has repeatedly denied the report.

But if you read further into the story:

Shawkat al-Hakem, Al-Siyassah managing editor, told the AP on Saturday that the minister's comments did not negate his paper's report. He said the paper stood by its story.

Source

In the original denial story, al-Sabah literally danced around the question in his denial (Asked about the report of seized biological warheads, al-Sabah also told al-Qabas newspaper: "Up to now we have not verified this...") and the "other items" that were confiscated were never defined...the story was literally swept under the rug after al-Sabah's denial, a little too quickly for my taste.

[Yaelle]

For people who have not ventured outside the U.S.: Newsflash! There are beloved children of G-d in every land! There are wonderful people and hateful people everywhere!

I hate the official French, the politics, the voices of their "cultural elite," both present and in the various past incarnations, yet I have liked and indeed been very fond of plenty of French people. I have lived in France for a year and surrounded by France for two more (In Geneva). It's OK to bash the French policies and all, but you would certainly all find friends among the French people. I will guarantee it.

One of the open-eyed surprises for me when I was there was how welcoming and open they were to strangers. How many times we foreigners were taken in to homey family lunches, with wine and aperitifs, among poor country people who simply enjoyed having new people to dine with and talk with. I enjoyed their hospitality so much. In fact, the nicest people I met were the ones who had the least. They shared every bit of what they did have and we all had a great time. Many lunches were nothing more than spaghetti and bread and soup and yet they were delicious because of the relaxed, friendly setting.

It was different with the snobs in the city and at the university. I took one class from a Communiste who hated Americains. That was an experience. But I could have found the same at any of our prominent universities, too, come to think of it...

[RandallFlagg]

Yeah! That was one!

We have access to a massive amount of old articles here on FR. I've been using it constantly against the "No war for oil" types on other boards and they always say, "Well, they must have pulled it because it turned out to be false."

Anyone else know or have more on this or other stuff?

[fourhorsemen]

The radioactive buildings found in April?

If I remember correctly that site has already been instrumented and monitored by the IAEA prior to the invasion. It was a waste storage facility that was looted after the invasion.

[Dog]

Come in from Canadian airspace and be on top of us .....before the fighter cap could react. Target would be in the midwest.

[JIM O]

). It's OK to bash the French policies and all, but you would certainly all find friends among the French people.

Then our"friends" should stand up and condemn their elected leaders actions, it does not happen enough.

[mrobison]

It's all Bush's fault.

[Numbers Guy]

Rose Bowl parade is in Pasadena on New Year's Day, is it not?

Parade and the Rose Bowl game itself are on January 1. The latter will draw 90,000+ (including myself) in a relatively contained area.

I'm not particularly concerned about someone crashing a jet into the stadium simply because LA is one of the cities that will have fighter patrols overhead, and I'm sure they'll know that a gathering of 90,000 (or the parade crowd) is a likely target of any off-course plane.

[TomGuy]

Significantly more details in this linked article [see the original source]:

Security Fears Ground Paris-L.A. Flights

[RandallFlagg]

If I remember correctly that site has already been instrumented and monitored by the IAEA prior to the invasion. It was a waste storage facility that was looted after the invasion.

I hadn't heard that. Did Saddam include that in his little 15,000 page report?

[alnick]

The Secretary of State does not make calls on weak Intel....

Especially since he's still recovering from surgery.

[Headfulofghosts]

Wed Dec 17, 2003


PARIS (Reuters) - A military plane carrying an unspecified number of paratroopers crashed in southwestern France on Wednesday, a military spokesman said. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was killed or what caused the crash. French LCI television said at least 10 people were on board at the time of the crash. France Info radio said police at the crash site had discovered at least two bodies but the report was not independently confirmed.
"We don't know the number of casualties at this stage," the spokesman said. He said the plane involved was a CASA transporter capable of carrying up to 40 parachutists.

[gatorbait]

I understand that the people in Normandy are still much more pro-America than the rest of the country.

They are along the Riviera and in Alsace-Lorraine as well .