US agents search BA jet at Washington airport (about 1 hour ago)

Reuters ^ | 1/1/04

[areafiftyone]

WASHINGTON, Dec 31 (Reuters) - U.S. security officials detained a British Airways Boeing 747 on arrival at a Washington, D.C., airport on Wednesday and spent several hours searching it and questioning some passengers, the Department of Homeland Security said.

Department spokeswoman Rachael Sunbarger told Reuters that BA Flight 223 to Dulles Airport from London was "detained and remains on the tarmac for further screening." She gave no further details.

An FBI spokeswoman said agents were "on scene" at Dulles International Airport outside Washington questioning some passengers, adding that it was "routine" questioning and that no arrests had been made.

"There are a number of passengers on that British Airways flight that law enforcement officials wanted to speak with and those interviews are being conducted," said the spokeswoman who asked not to be named.

Local media reported the plane, carrying 247 passengers and 17 crew, landed at 7:06 p.m. EST/0006 GMT. The reports said those on board were ferried to the terminal building about three hours later.

The United States raised its terror alert to its second highest level 10 days ago, citing the possibility of terror attacks over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

U.S. officials say they believe al Qaeda, blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon using hijacked planes, is plotting further hijackings.

Last week six Air France flights between Paris and Los Angeles were canceled when U.S. intelligence warned French authorities that the passenger lists included suspicious names.

[abner]

Okay...let's tinfoil hat this one then and assume they are being truthful (thus the tinfoil hat).

LOL!!!!! My logic chip won't permit this.... LOL!

[bcoffey]

Gawd, even if it took them 3 1/2 hours to finish their investigation, you'd think they'd let the first interviewees off, then the next batch, etc., and not keep everybody on the plane for 3 1/2 hours!

Actually, the news reports said they rescreened all the passengers after the 3 1/2 hour delay.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Maybe a knife slipped through security in Britain.

[Amelia]

I agree 100%.

[abner]

Osama??? Maybe Osama was on the plane... Ok, it is just as plausible as this not being terrorist related. . . .

[bcoffey]

Maybe a knife slipped through security in Britain.

Well, someone on the other thread said that a cheese cutter had been found. Hard to believe that's what caused all the ruckus.

[VRWC For Truth]

More likely pre-planting of nefarious items on board. That kid from the 'Carolinas a few months ago showed how easy it was.

[Semper911]

Thanks very much.

[bcoffey]

WTOP News update: 1:05 am

Nothing new this time. I guess things must be winding down. (whatever those 'things' were)

[abner]

Nothing new this time. I guess things must be winding down. (whatever those 'things' were)

We have to assume that they captured the wild band of fuzzy bunnies... Cause it wasn't anything related to terrorism.

[relee]

WTOP at 1:07

Passengers were detained for about 3 hours - baggage was super screened

Some passengers questioned on the plane were requestioned on the people mover.

It wasn't clear if they were questioning her because she traveled instead of her husband or if they were looking for her husband.

[bcoffey]

Getting late and there doesn't seem to be any new developments, so I'm calling it a night... or is that calling it an "early morning?"

Enjoy your evening, and Happy New Year

[HiTech RedNeck]

Imagine if someone found a straight edge razor blade, i.e. what goes in a box cutter. I don't know how such things could be stopped, sans a thorough disassembly inspection of everything, so long as they are thin enough to be packed tight up against a more massive piece of innocent metal.

Of course with today's consciousness, especially on a flight with that many people, anyone who pulled out a box cutter would be on the floor in two seconds flat.

[CommandoFrank]

From the other thread...

The most interesting thing reported by a passenger was that a Middle Eastern looking woman was singled out for intense questioning by the Feds on the 'people mover' from the plane to the terminal about her husband. Another said US passport holders were given cursory attention while foreign passport holders were questioned more closely. Rebecca Cooper reported a British Airways employee told her on background the Feds were looking for seven or eight suspects on the flight.

[relee]

I'm going to put on Art Bell to hear what the future has in store for 2004. Happy New Year!

[bcoffey]

Enjoy Art, and hold down the fort in LoCo (used to live there)

[VRWC For Truth]

BA, could be looking for stowaways http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1049532/posts

[stlnative]

THIS ONE WAS RELEASED ABOUT 40 minutes ago

Specific threats sparked security
December 31, 2003

By ERIC LICHTBLAU New York Times

WASHINGTON - American authorities in the past week ordered a U.S.-bound flight from Mexico to turn around in mid-flight and imposed extraordinary security measures on at least six other incoming flights because of terrorist concerns, federal officials said Wednesday.

U.S. officials were so concerned about possible attacks on at least five foreign flights that landed in the United States - including one at Dulles Airport outside Washington and several at Los Angeles International Airport - that they took the planes to remote locations away from the main terminals and rescreened the passengers before allowing them to leave.

~SNIP~

http://rutlandherald.nybor.com/News/Story/76697.html

[stlnative]

British plane held for 'reverse screening'

Thursday, January 1, 2004 Posted: 0404 GMT (12:04 PM HKT)



British Airways Flight 223 from Heathrow Airport sits on the tarmac at Dulles International Airport.


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI and Transportation Security Administration Wednesday night were conducting a "reverse screening" of passengers onboard a British Airways flight arriving from London before allowing anyone to leave the plane.

BA Flight 223 from Heathrow Airport to Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia landed shortly after 7 p.m. ET.

A Homeland Security official said the British Airways flight is on the ground for reverse screening (passengers are screened as they deplane).

"It's just an additional security precaution we are taking as part of our layered approach to homeland security," the official said. "About a dozen aircraft a week get reverse screened even when we're not at threat level orange."

Asked how long the plane will be detained, the official said, "As long as it takes to screen the passengers."

Some of the passengers were seen leaving the plane shortly after 10 p.m

~snip~

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/US/12/31/plane.screening/

[HiTech RedNeck]

In other words they picked this plane at random for a drill. Nice to do it on New Year's Eve....