Posted on 12/08/2005 12:21:37 PM PST by Rennes Templar
A passenger on Flight 924 gives his account of the shooting and says Rigoberto Alpizar never claimed to have a bomb
By SIOBHAN MORRISSEY/MIAMI
At least one passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 924 maintains the federal air marshals were a little too quick on the draw when they shot and killed Rigoberto Alpizar as he frantically attempted to run off the airplane shortly before take-off.
"I don't think they needed to use deadly force with the guy," says John McAlhany, a 44-year-old construction worker from Sebastian, Fla. "He was getting off the plane." McAlhany also maintains that Alpizar never mentioned having a bomb.
"I never heard the word 'bomb' on the plane," McAlhany told TIME in a telephone interview. "I never heard the word bomb until the FBI asked me did you hear the word bomb. That is ridiculous." Even the authorities didn't come out and say bomb, McAlhany says. "They asked, 'Did you hear anything about the b-word?'" he says. "That's what they called it."
When the incident began McAlhany was in seat 24C, in the middle of the plane. "[Alpizar] was in the back," McAlhany says, "a few seats from the back bathroom. He sat down." Then, McAlhany says, "I heard an argument with his wife. He was saying 'I have to get off the plane.' She said, 'Calm down.'"
Alpizar took off running down the aisle, with his wife close behind him. "She was running behind him saying, 'He's sick. He's sick. He's ill. He's got a disorder," McAlhany recalls. "I don't know if she said bipolar disorder [as one witness has alleged]. She was trying to explain to the marshals that he was ill. He just wanted to get off the plane."
McAlhany described Alpizar as carrying a big backpack and wearing a fanny pack in front. He says it would have been impossible for Alpizar to lie flat on the floor of the plane, as marshals ordered him to do, with the fanny pack on. "You can't get on the ground with a fanny pack," he says. "You have to move it to the side."
By the time Alpizar made it to the front of the airplane, the crew had ordered the rest of the passengers to get down between the seats. "I didn't see him get shot," he says. "They kept telling me to get down. I heard about five shots."
McAlhany says he tried to see what was happening just in case he needed to take evasive action. "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. "I was looking through the seats because I wanted to see what was coming.
"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 got my cell phone karate chopped out of my hand. Then I realized it was an official."
In the ensuing events, many of the passengers began crying in fear, he recalls. "They were pointing the guns directly at us instead of pointing them to the ground," he says "One little girl was crying. There was a lady crying all the way to the hotel."
McAlhany said he saw Alpizar before the flight and is absolutely stunned by what unfolded on the airplane. He says he saw Alpizar eating a sandwich in the boarding area before getting on the plane. He looked normal at that time, McAlhany says. He thinks the whole thing was a mistake: "I don't believe he should be dead right now."
Oh, dear G-d... no! NO -- ! < /sarc>
Nah ! Greta only does attractive,young, middle class missing girls.
He came on a plane from Ecquador.
Obviously we don't have enough for every flight.
I thought they had already been through customs.
There was no way of knowing why, and no way of finding out why, in the very few seconds that the Air Marshals had to react. Think about it for just a minute: if a plane was blown up at the terminal, it would kill more people than just the ones on the plane.
Terrorists never try to blend in with non-terrorists - they are always unmistakable.
The marshals should have recognized that Alpizar was not wearing the designated vest and taken a nap instead.
I remember that story- the bank robber with sloppy writing
Agreed. You should stay on that line of reasoning rather than entering into the "oh so i guess bombs don't hurt a plane if they're still on the ground" approach.
To be honest, I was surprised to read that as your posts are usually really reasonable.
You do acknowledge that the tactical situation while the plane is on the ground is different than when it is in the air, right? When the plane is in the air, it can be used as a missile.
He's enjoying himself entirely TOO much, if you get my drift.
Sort of like Richard Clark before, during and after the 911 Commission hearings?
How did she know they were there?
Good one,R.K.,good one.
Thank you for saying that! It needed to be said.
The air marshals job is to neutralize a threat, not "shoot terrorists". When you understand the difference, you'll see why they discharged their firearms.
I wonder what all the other passengers thought????
Some of them may have, but the ticket counter attendant who checked in Atta said afterward she remembered him because she had never seen a person look so devoid of a soul before. She was very troubled that she didn't listen to her instincts and alert someone to him as she sensed something was very wrong but dismissed it. When she heard about the attack she "knew" he was somehow involved.
LOL........you nailed it!
He had a row with his wife and being unstable, committed suicide by Marshall. Knowing full well, what they almost were certain to do.
I thought the Feds carried 10mm weapons. Less tendency to overpenetrate, greater tendency to cause more damage.
Or something. I've never fired a pistol before in my life.
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