Flights Cut on Fear of al Qaeda Attacks (NEW info: WMD use on planes planned by AQ)

Washington Post ^ | FEb. 1, 2004 | Sara Kehaulani Goo and Dana Priest

[FairOpinion]

Intelligence indicating that al Qaeda terrorists are seeking to release a chemical or biological agent aboard an airliner, or transport a radiological device in cargo, prompted the cancellation of six international flights scheduled for today and tomorrow, senior administration officials familiar with the reports said yesterday.

The possibilities, as described by three intelligence officials, include releasing an undetectable biological agent such as smallpox or anthrax aboard a plane that passengers would then unknowingly spread; releasing a chemical agent to debilitate the passengers and crew so the plane could be hijacked, and sneaking a radiological device aboard a plane inside a piece of luggage.

Small amounts of chemical, biological or radiological material would be difficult to detect.

[Stultis]

No problem. If the terrorists kill thousands of Americans with a small pox epidemic, then by God we'll slap an eff'n indictment on 'em.</John Kerry mode>

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

I see your point, but the stuff that was spread around before was small enough to get shook from passenger to passenger and transferred via air flow.

[NittanyLion]

The possibilities, as described by three intelligence officials, include releasing an undetectable biological agent such as smallpox or anthrax aboard a plane that passengers would then unknowingly spread

Anthrax is not contagious. In my mind the error brings this entire article into question. Either these "intelligence officials" don't know what they're doing, or this WP reporter is making things up. I vote for the latter.

[NittanyLion]

Yes, the all powerful manipulative Bush administration has far reaching powers to stop flights even from other countries.

Actually, the administration does have that power. Not that I'm suggesting they're using it in this instance, but [for example] we could revoke overflight and landing privileges to airlines who refuse to follow appropriate security procedures.

[arete]

Richard, you're about as convincing on Homeland Security as you are in economics.

Callable bonds and CD's?

Richard W.

[jimbo123]

The plot (based on cancelled flight timetables):

BA 207 to Miami a diversion?

5:30P: 2nd leg of CO 17 (refueled) depart Newark to hit NYC

6:00P: Superbowl TV start

6:20P BA 233 scheduled to arrive at Dulles at 6:20p

6:30P AF 026 scheduled to arrive at Dulles at 6:30p

All three flights and Superbowl start operating within a 1 hour window: 5:30p-6:30p.

[arete]

Sure -- Rove orchestrated the 9-11 attack to make Bush more popular, right?

The 9/11 attack was initiated by nationals from where? . . . Who entered the country from where? . . . and used airliners that took off from where? Some of the crap the administration is putting out and the constant fear mongering is getting really old. Rove really needs to get better writers or he is going to lose the tin foil people and space cadet vote.

Richard W.

[Per-Ling]

I'm curious...

How deep do your tendrils creep into our intelligence apparatus?

[arete]

How deep do your tendrils creep into our intelligence apparatus?

Just making an observation of how the administration uses "intelligence" info to make up stories about just about anything and everything. If the fiction gets called and accountability questioned then it is "bad intelligence" or an intelligence failure. I suppose that if you are going to declare a war on terrorism, it would follow that you need to constantly engage in "we're under attack" hype otherwise the sheepsters might get bored with the idea.

Richard W.

[mewzilla]

No ,but they can transport the spores, though. And when all it takes to panic people is the presence of one anthrax spore...

[ChadGore]

Re: Some of the crap the administration is putting out and the constant fear mongering is getting really old.

Back up your apathy wagon for a second and think.

The right to life is a civil right. The right to continue to be, is a civil right. The right of people of all nations, of all walks of life, to continue to live their life, is indeed the first and foremost civil right of all, recognized and enforced by more countries than any other right on the planet.

I make this argument and you smack your gum, roll your eyes, and say "whatever" . . . . Why ?

---

The following countries suffered casualties in my country on a fall day just a few years ago.

Antigua & Barbuda suffered casualties on 911
Argentina suffered casualties on 911
Australia suffered casualties on 911
Austria suffered casualties on 911
Bangladesh suffered casualties on 911
Barbados suffered casualties on 911
Belgium suffered casualties on 911
Belarus suffered casualties on 911
Belize suffered casualties on 911
Bolivia suffered casualties on 911
Brazil suffered casualties on 911
Canada suffered casualties on 911
Chile suffered casualties on 911
China suffered casualties on 911
Colombia suffered casualties on 911
Czech Republic suffered casualties on 911
Dominica suffered casualties on 911
Dominican Republic suffered casualties on 911
Ecuador suffered casualties on 911
Egypt suffered casualties on 911
El Salvador suffered casualties on 911
Ethiopia suffered casualties on 911
France suffered casualties on 911
The Gambia suffered casualties on 911
Germany suffered casualties on 911
Ghana suffered casualties on 911
Greece suffered casualties on 911
Grenada suffered casualties on 911
Guatemala suffered casualties on 911
Guyana suffered casualties on 911
Haiti suffered casualties on 911
Honduras suffered casualties on 911
Hong Kong suffered casualties on 911
India suffered casualties on 911
Indonesia suffered casualties on 911
Iran suffered casualties on 911
Ireland suffered casualties on 911
Israel suffered casualties on 911
Italy suffered casualties on 911
Jamaica suffered casualties on 911
Japan suffered casualties on 911
Jordan suffered casualties on 911
Kazakhstan suffered casualties on 911
Kenya suffered casualties on 911
Lebanon suffered casualties on 911
Liberia suffered casualties on 911
Luxembourg suffered casualties on 911
Malaysia suffered casualties on 911
Mexico suffered casualties on 911
The Netherlands suffered casualties on 911
New Zealand suffered casualties on 911
Nicaragua suffered casualties on 911
Nigeria suffered casualties on 911
Pakistan suffered casualties on 911
Panama suffered casualties on 911
Paraguay suffered casualties on 911
Peru suffered casualties on 911
Philippines suffered casualties on 911
Poland suffered casualties on 911
Portugal suffered casualties on 911
Romania suffered casualties on 911
Russia suffered casualties on 911
Slovakia suffered casualties on 911
South Africa suffered casualties on 911
South Korea suffered casualties on 911
Spain suffered casualties on 911
Sri Lanka suffered casualties on 911
St. Kitts & Nevis suffered casualties on 911
St. Lucia suffered casualties on 911
St. Vincent & the Grenadines suffered casualties on 911
Sweden suffered casualties on 911
Switzerland suffered casualties on 911
Taiwan suffered casualties on 911
Thailand suffered casualties on 911
Togo suffered casualties on 911
Trinidad & Tobago suffered casualties on 911
Turkey suffered casualties on 911
Ukraine suffered casualties on 911
United Kingdom suffered casualties on 911
United States of America suffered casualties on 911
Uruguay suffered casualties on 911
Uzbekistan suffered casualties on 911
Venezuela suffered casualties on 911
Yemen suffered casualties on 911

Just in the last decade, the following attacks denied people of this fundemental civil right, the right to life.

1992 Bombing in Israeli Embassy in Argentina, March 17,1992
1993 Attempted Assassination of Pres. Bush Sr., April 14,1993
1993 First World Trade Center bombing, February 26th, 7 Killed, Hundreds injured, Billions
1994 Air France Hijacking, Dec 24,1994
1995 Attack on US Diplomats in Pakistan, Mar 8,1995
1995 Saudi Military Installation Attack, Nov 13, 1995
1995 Kashmiri Hostage taking, July 4,1995
1996 Khobar Towers attack
1996 Sudanese Missionarys Kidnapping, Aug 17,1996
1996 Paris Subway Explosion, Dec 3,1996
1997 Israeli Shopping Mall Bombing, Sept 4, 1997
1997 Yemeni Kidnappings, Oct 30,1997
1998 Somali Hostage taking crisis, April 15,1998
1998 U.S. Embassy Bombing in Peru, Jan 15, 1998
1998 U.S. Kenya Embassy blown up, 100's murdered
1998 U.S. Tanzania Embassy blown up, 100's murdered
1999 Plot to blow up Space Needle
2000 USS Cole attacked, many U.S. Navy sailors murdered
2000-2003 Intifada against Israel - 100's dead and injured
2000 Manila Bombing, Dec 30,2000
2001 4 Commercial airliners hijacked, 250+ murdered
2001 World Trade Center attacked, 2800+ murdered
2001 Flight 93 murders
2001 Pentagon attacked, 180+ murdered
2002 Reporter Daniel Pearl, kidnapped and murdered
2002 Philippines American missionary, Filipino nurse killed
2002 July 4, El Al attack Los Angeles LAX, several murdered
2002 Bali bombing - 200 dead, 300 injured
2002 Yemen, French Oil Tanker attacked
2002 Marines attacked / murdered in Kuwait
2002 Washington D.C. sniper
2002 Russian Theater attacked, 100+ dead
2002 Nigerian riots against Miss World Pageant, 200 dead, dozens injured
2002 Mombasa Hotel Attacked, 12 dead, dozens injured
2002 Israeli Boeing 757 attacked by missiles, fortunately no one injured
2002 August Hotel bombing in Jakarta, Indonesia. 12 dead, dozens injured.
2003 Rusian concert bombing
2003 Phillipines airport and market bombing
2003 Foiled SAM plot in the USA
2003 UN Baghdad HQ Bombing
2003 Ticrit Mosque Bombing
2003 Neveh Shalom Synagogue Bombing in Istanbul, Turkey November 15, 2003

[Jim Noble]

No ,but they can transport the spores, though. And when all it takes to panic people is the presence of one anthrax spore...

It depends on what you think they are trying to accomplish.

Anthrax could cause a panic, true.<p.Smallpox could kill ten million before we got a handle on it.

[arete]

Although 9/11 was a single event tragedy for an average American, I don't think that we can continue using it as a catch all and excuse for fear mongering and war. If anything, a 9/11 type event was a somewhat predictable consequence of our meddling in ME affairs. It has been in the cards for some time and I don't think that the administration was all that surprised by it. They may not have known the details, but I'm sure they knew we were going to take a hit. Most people only want to hear the simplistic "they hate us" reasons for it handed out by the government propagada machine. You really think that the government is going to tell the public the truth like -- hey, we screwed up when we put troops on the ground in Arabia and we should never have supported the despotic Saudi royals against their own people? No, that will never happen because we will always be about blaming others for our own failures and misadventures. A more pragmatic few might argue that if you want/need their oil bad enough then a 9/11 is a small price to pay.

Richard W.

[mewzilla]

They're trying to accomplish anything they can. I'm just thinking that anthrax might be easier to use than smallpox, for a variety of reasons. Either way, I hope we're ready.

[ChadGore]

Re: Although 9/11 was a single event tragedy for an average American

False

You need to take more of the world view.

1968 Robert Kennedy assassinated
1972 Munich Olympic Massacure Sep-5,1972 (Black September)
1976 Entebbe Hostage Crisis, June 27, 1976
1979 Iran Hostage Crisis, Nov. 4, 1979 444 days
1979 Grand Mosque Seizure, Nov 20,1979

1981 Assassination of Egyptian President, Oct 6,1981
1982 Assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister, Sept 14, 1982
1983 Bombing of US Embassy in Beirut6, April 18,1983
1983 Bombing of Maring Barricks, Beruit, Oct 23,1983
1984 Hizballah Restaurant Bombing, April 12,1984
1985 Egyptian Airliner Hijacking, Nov 23,1985
1985 Rome Airport murders
1985 TWA Flight 847 hijacked, U.S. Navy diver murdered
1985 Achille Lauro hijacking, Homacidal maniac lived in saddams Iraq
1986 Aircraft Bombing in Greece, March 30, 1986
1988 Pan Am 747 Flight 103 Bombing, Lockerbie, 100's murdered
1988 Berlin Discoteque Bombing, Dec 21,1988

1992 Bombing in Israeli Embassy in Argentina, March 17,1992
1993 Attempted Assassination of Pres. Bush Sr., April 14,1993
1993 First World Trade Center bombing, February 26th, 7 Killed, Hundreds injured, Billions(NOTE: I lived through this one myself)
1994 Air France Hijacking, Dec 24,1994
1995 Attack on US Diplomats in Pakistan, Mar 8,1995
1995 Saudi Military Installation Attack, Nov 13, 1995
1995 Kashmiri Hostage taking, July 4,1995
1996 Khobar Towers attack
1996 Sudanese Missionarys Kidnapping, Aug 17,1996
1996 Paris Subway Explosion, Dec 3,1996
1997 Israeli Shopping Mall Bombing, Sept 4, 1997
1997 Yemeni Kidnappings, Oct 30,1997
1998 Somali Hostage taking crisis, April 15,1998
1998 U.S. Embassy Bombing in Peru, Jan 15, 1998
1998 U.S. Kenya Embassy blown up, 100's murdered
1998 U.S. Tanzania Embassy blown up, 100's murdered
1999 Plot to blow up Space Needle
2000 USS Cole attacked, many U.S. Navy sailors murdered
2000-2003 Intifada against Israel - 100's dead and injured
2000 Manila Bombing, Dec 30,2000
2001 4 Commercial airliners hijacked, 250+ murdered
2001 World Trade Center attacked, 2800+ murdered
2001 Flight 93 murders
2001 Pentagon attacked, 180+ murdered

2002 Reporter Daniel Pearl, kidnapped and murdered
2002 Philippines American missionary, Filipino nurse killed
2002 July 4, El Al attack Los Angeles LAX, several murdered
2002 Bali bombing - 200 dead, 300 injured
2002 Yemen, French Oil Tanker attacked
2002 Marines attacked / murdered in Kuwait
2002 Russian Theater attacked, 100+ dead
2002 Nigerian riots against Miss World Pageant, 200 dead, dozens injured
2002 Mombasa Hotel Attacked, 12 dead, dozens injured
2002 Israeli Boeing 757 attacked by missiles, fortunately no one injured
2002 August Hotel bombing in Jakarta, Indonesia. 12 dead, dozens injured.
2003 Rusian concert bombing
2003 Phillipines airport and market bombing
2003 Foiled SAM plot in the USA
2003 UN Baghdad HQ Bombing
2003 Ticrit Mosque Bombing
2003 Neveh Shalom Synagogue Bombing in Istanbul, Turkey November 15, 2003

(NOTE this list does not yet contain december of 2003, nor january of 2004)

[joonbug]

Why aren't we at Orange?
Perhaps because of Superbowl weekend and how disruptive going to orange would be?

[ChadGore]

Re: If anything, a 9/11 type event was a somewhat predictable consequence of our meddling in ME affairs.

Please apologize to me, my family, and the famlies of the thousands and thousands of my people who are victims of this tyrany you attempt to pass off as an exceptable form of political speach.

[ChadGore]

Re: The possibilities, as described by three intelligence officials, include releasing an undetectable biological agent such as smallpox or anthrax aboard a plane that passengers would then unknowingly spread

Anthrax is not contagious.

Smallpox is contagious, and I'm not making that up.

[arete]

One of us is definitely missing the point and it isn't me. You seem to think that present long lists of unrelated events is an answer. Meaningless IMO.

Richard W.

[arete]

Please apologize to me, my family, and the famlies of the thousands and thousands of my people who are victims of this tyrany you attempt to pass off as an exceptable form of political speach.

No.

Richard W.