Eyewitness: "I Never Heard the Word 'Bomb'"

TIME.com ^ | Dec. 8, 2005 | Siobhan Morrissey

[COBOL2Java]

I was in 'Nam!

[js1138]

I noticed big signs at the Newark airport a couple weeks ago claiming it is a crime to talk or joke about bombs, weapons, etc. while boarding or at the gate.

[cvq3842]

Yep.

I'll make a deal with the world: I won't act like this person did on a flight - running towards the cockpit with a backpack after being told to stop - and I will not skip any meds that are needed to keep me sane. And you, the airline, agree to defend me against anyone who acts in such a way.

I feel badly for the dead man and his family, but I'm glad the threat was dealt with, quickly and decisively. It's a sin to second guess the folks who risk their lives to keep us safe.

[VOA]

At least one passenger...

Ah yes, the single heckler veto concept is injected into work
that protects the citizens of the USA.
And those that visit or travel via our conveyances.
What bloody madness.
But, to paraphrase Churchill: a concept so daft that intelledtuals
(and lawyers/judges) will consider it.

[Recovering_Democrat]

"I never heard the word 'bomb' on the plane," McAlhany told TIME in a telephone interview.

Oh, well, since this guy never heard the word, I guess we've got to immediately assume the marshalls are the ones terrorizing women and children. < \John Kerry>

[TexasCajun]

I am interested in how many passangers did indeed hear the man say the b-word.

I also heard there were 2 marshalls on board and later heard on an ABC interview that when marshalls are on board, they are usually not alone.

I would think we could cover more plans if each had one armed marshall, not two?

[brytlea]

I always wonder if Brian could possibly be as dumb as he acts on tv. I suppose it's just his schtick.
susie

[B Knotts]

This is what I suspected.

This does not mean the shooting was unjustified.

But, I reckoned the "he claimed to have a bomb" stuff was B.S.

[HawaiianGecko]

 

"I wanted to make sure if anything was coming toward me and they were killing passengers I would have a chance to break somebody's neck," he says.

Well since this guy didn't break the neck of an armed man sticking a shotgun in his neck, just who was he planning on breaking the neck of?  A grandmother or something?

This guy sounds like a loser.

[Barney Gumble]

I agree. If the guy had a bomb, and it denonated people would be saying "the marshalls aren't properly trained. it's because of bush's tax cuts, there isn't enough funding. bush should apologize for his failure."

[mosquitobite]

Well said!!!

[wyattearp]

"I was on the phone with my brother. Somebody came down the aisle and put a shotgun to the back of my head and said put your hands on the seat in front of you."

"I think that's a damn lie."

It sounds to me like this guy was definitely NOT following the instructions of the officers, was instead doing exactly what they told him NOT to do (studying their procedures, talking on a cell phone), and he got their instructions explained to him in a more direct fashion.

The officers had a serious job to do, and they had to do it fast. From this guy's description of the events, it appears as if he was making a problem of himself.

[d-back]

We've ALL known for over 30 years that it's a bad idea to claim you have a bomb while on an airplane.

And now we have an eyewitness who says the government agents are wrong about whether the dead man said the word "bomb." Aren't you at least curious about what really happened?

Boy, the kneejerk approval by some Freepers of this deadly shooting is surprising, to say the least.

[reagan_fanatic]

[SMARTY]

"He was getting off the plane..."

Like the bomb could only do damage on the plane?

[Great Caesars Ghost]

I am not military, but... there is no such thing as "shoot to wound", am I right about this? You'd flippin' miss and then where would you be. Plus, if you think he's got a bomb you have to get a head shot anyway so he hopefully can't detonate, though that's probably a fairly faint hope if he's really fingering the plunger.

[TexasCajun]

I told my wife last night that a panic-attack on our next plane flight was abosolutely out of the question.

I promise you, If my wife had a panic-attack and the plane door was still open, she'd be running for the door too.

[Great Caesars Ghost]

He was an honors student.

[plain talk]

Even if he was quiet they should have taken him out if was behaving erratically, opening a backpack and refusing to obey officers to get down. Bad choice on his part.

[rlmorel]

So I would say to McAlhany:

What makes you a reliable witness? Why should we believe you?

If the guy had set off a bomb, he would have bitched that not enough had been done...oh wait...no he wouldn't have....