grrrr, I fought the Free Republic search for what seemed like hours, gave up and went to google, found 1, but so far not the other half dozen..........
Check the comments to get the full story:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/931538/posts
Hide in Plane Sight (Authorities fear Boeing 727
stolen in Angola may be used in terrorism)
ABC News ^ | June 18, 2003 | Pierre Thomas
Posted on 06/18/2003 8:45:15 PM MDT by HAL9000
Hide in Plane Sight
Family of Possible 727 Pilot: "He Is Not a Terrorist"
W A S H I N G T O N, June 18 - While international authorities
continue their search for a missing jetliner, fearful that it could
be used in a terror attack, the family of the American believed
to have been piloting the aircraft worries about his fate.
Workers at Luanda Airport in Angola watched dumbfounded on
May 25 as a Boeing 727 taxied down the runway and took off -
without permission. The plane - which ABCNEWS has learned
was refitted to haul diesel fuel tanks, making it a potential
flying bomb - has not been seen since.
The man the U.S. government suspects of piloting the 727 is
Benjamin Padilla - a U.S. citizen from Florida. Padilla, too, has
vanished, and his family is worried.
"I am concerned that he might have been hijacked," Padilla's
brother, Joseph, said in an exclusive interview with ABCNEWS.
"It's very painful," said Padilla's sister, Benita. "The whole
family is in anguish, not knowing what happened to our
brother."
The family believes Padilla, a licensed mechanic and pilot, flew
to Angola on behalf of Aerospace Sales and Leasing, a
Florida-based company that bought the 727 from American
Airlines two years ago. The plane had not been moved for
more than a year, and his family believes Padilla went to see
whether it was fit to fly.
Neither Padilla's family nor ABCNEWS has been able to reach
anyone at Aerospace Sales and Leasing. No one was at the
office when ABCNEWS visited today and phone calls were not
answered.
U.S. Officials Stumped
Despite the use of satellites to scour the African landscape,
and a request to all African embassies for information, U.S.
officials said they still have no clue about the plane's location.
"We don't have any reliable assessments about what this
portends, what it could be, who may be behind it." White
House spokesman Ari Fleischer said today.
Most intelligence officials believe the plane was stolen to run
drugs or guns, or as part of an insurance scam.
However, they have not ruled out the possibility the plane is in
the hands of terrorists - perhaps plotting to target U.S.
embassies in Africa.
Padilla's family maintains there is no way he would be involved
in such a plan.
"I can guarantee my brother is not a criminal and he is not a
terrorist," said Benita Padilla.
http://www.google.com/search?client=googlet&q=stolen%20737%20Padilla%20Free%20Republic
We have chased this guy forever I still wonder where he is...
Rewards for Justice Padilla page in English
Remarks: Padilla is a United States citizen from the State of Florida. Information is
sought on the whereabouts of American citizen Ben Padilla, ...
www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/ recent_campaigns/index.cfm?page=Padilla - 16k - Cached - Similar pages
FBI Seeking Information - Ben Charles Padilla
Height:, 6'2", Race:, White. Weight:, Unknown, Complexion:, Light. Remarks:,
Padilla is a United States citizen from the state of Florida. ...
www.fbi.gov/wanted/seekinfo/padilla.htm - 8k - Cached - Similar pages
cryptogon.com
The man the US government suspects of piloting the 727 is Benjamin Padilla a
US citizen from Florida. Padilla, too, has vanished, and his family is ...
cryptogon.com/2003_06_15_blogarchive.html - 38k - Cached - Similar pages