Posted on 01/17/2002 5:22:41 PM PST by Pokey78
SWEATY feet and the unwitting action of nearby passengers prevented Richard Reid, the alleged British shoe bomber, from blowing up an airliner, according to sources close to the investigation.
Mr Reid had trouble igniting his explosive-packed trainers because his feet were sweating and had dampened the non-metal fuse, said US officials. Separate airline sources said that Mr Reid, 28, from South London, pushed away a flight attendant who had initially tried to stop him striking matches to light the detonating cord. She fell on to a row of well-built men who instinctively threw her back on to Mr Reid, preventing him from further attempts to set off the plastic explosive on American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami. He was then overpowered by fellow passengers. The details emerged as the Department of Justice confirmed last night that Mr Reid may face more charges. A spokesman said that officials were investigating reports that Mr Reid was a trained al-Qaeda scout who travelled to Israel and Egypt to seek terrorist targets. If he is proved to be an active member of a terrorist organisation and tied in any way to a specific attack, he could face the death penalty. Prosecutors were trying to learn more about his alleged role in al-Qaeda and about his network of contacts. Any further charges must be brought before his trial begins. Tamar Birckhead, Mr Reid’s lawyer, tried to distance her client from al-Qaeda. The indictment, she said, “does not allege that any of the crimes charged were committed on behalf of or to further the cause of al-Qaeda or any other terrorist organisation. We are aware of no basis for such an allegation”. Reports claiming that Mr Reid led a secret existence as an al-Qaeda spy, codenamed Abdul Rauff, could prejudice her client. “We urge the Government and law enforcement officials to conduct their prosecution of Mr Reid with fairness and even-handedness,” she said. A senior intelligence official said: “There seems to be a very long list of coincidences between Reid’s travels and the al-Qaeda figure.” Prosecutors want to move Mr Reid’s trial to the federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. It is near the Pentagon and where Zaccharias Moussaoui, the only person charged directly with September 11, will be tried and where the American Taleban John Walker is likely to be brought. The Alexandria courthouse, which draws its juries from a local conservative population, is dubbed the “rocket docket” for the speed and severity with which it deals with high- profile national security cases. Mr Reid’s best defence could be his bumbling, disorientated demeanour: the traits that led him to fail in his bombing mission. This could make it hard to tie Mr Reid to a ruthlessly professional terrorist organisation. “The Government will have to show this worldwide network of terror but the jury will only see this rather hopeless individual,” Professor Jonathan Turley, of George Washington University’s law department, said. The Justice Department’s aggressive prosecution of Mr Reid — levelling nine counts against him — appeared designed to prompt al-Qaeda members to co-operate. Eric Holder, the former Deputy Attorney-General, told The Washington Post: “It sends a message to people who are detained in this country or overseas that we are going to be very aggressive in these charging decisions, so it’s in your best interests to co-operate.” A plea of insanity may be Mr Reid’s best hope, although hard to prove, especially in a death-penalty case. Juries tend to dislike such pleas, seeing them as admissions of guilt.
I wish that the bitch/dyke that runs the ACLU had been setting nearby.
I have seen reports that two flight attendants struggled with this guy. They were both women, and also according to reports, even the huge men who finally subdued him said that he fought strongly.
I don't know who these flight attendants were, but I agree that they should get marks for heroism. I've often wondered why we don't know who they were.
One wonders, he certainly could not control his emotions, the Israelis picked him for his suspect behavior in their country, so did the French although they did not search his person or shoes.
The computer picked up in Kabul has a story about a man who may be the same person. If it is confirmed, he was savy enough to record all security precautions that he triggered in a "trial run". This is a man we could be underestimating. fool me once...
For example I have read that the "Fuse" was "metal", I have read that it was "Non-metalic". Cannon fuse is water-proof. Also, as to the explosive charge they have named most every explosive including C-4, SEMTEX, PETN, PENT, TATP, and or black powder.
We may learn more today.
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