Passenger Behavior Prompts Northwest to Divert Flight

Minneapolis Star Tribune ^ | 9/12/02 | Liz Fedor

[Paul Ross]

A Northwest Airlines flight from Memphis, Tenn., to Las Vegas was diverted to Arkansas this morning after the flight crew raised concerns about the behavior of some passengers.

Northwest spokeswoman Mary Beth Schubert said four of the passengers were detained by authorities.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

Passengers who behave this way should be banned from flying forever!

[moteineye]

No one is going to say it .No-one will admit it.Everytime an Arab gets on a flight the agent,the flight attns.,pilots and the psgrs are all suspicious.They are watched like a hawk.

[cricket]

"THREE men in an airline lavatory? That aint mile high club I bet. Plus how do you even get three people in that tiny space?"

. . .and why would this be allowed? . . .and shaving yet, beyond yuck for starters. . .could they not just remove their body hair wherever they were when the woke up that morning and for sure, before boarding a plane and then cramming themselves into a compact version of a bathroom?

These people are not just dangerously insane, they are stupidly insane.

[white trash redneck]

If these guys were shaving, they were terrorists. Shaving off body hair is one of the rituals these Arabic savages perform before martyrdom.

[Chuckster]

Electric?

[cricket]

"Four ME men traveling together on 9/11; in the air at the exact moments of impacts at the WTC -- "

. . .actually thought that if 'four' ME's were traveling, they would not be allowed to board a plane together. . .perhaps I dreamed that.

But I am amazed they not only boarded together, without 'razing' serious attention, but that three would manage to crowd into a bathroom together. This in itself is as scary as it is incredible. What gives here anyway?

Sounds like a test run; and if they got actually away with it, they would pass this test with the highest marks.

[xJones]

Police say four suspicious men, who appeared to be of middle eastern descent, were on board the flight. Officials tell us that the crew was negotiating with the suspects through the bathroom door after the flight landed.

Sherm, this beat the fumbling shoebomber all hollow. Three of them, hiding, stuffed into an airplane lavatory? I am not a large person, and airplane bathrooms are no fun. I guess they were jumping on the sink, that sort of courageous thing. Wouldn't you give anything to hear a transcript of the conversation through the bathroom door? "Achmed, Mohammed, and Mussa, zip your pants and come out with your HANDS up!

[RodgerD]

What kind of hydraulics or wires could one get to after kicking through the back or ceiling of that particular Airbus toilet?

[xJones]

Sorry, Sherm, I was laughing too hard.

"Sherm, this beats the fumbling shoebomber all hollow. Three of them, hiding, stuffed into an airplane lavatory? I am not a large person, and airplane bathrooms are no fun. I guess they were jumping on the sink, that sort of courageous thing. Wouldn't you give anything to read a transcript of the conversation through the bathroom door?

"Akhmed, Mohammed, and Mussa, zip your pants and come out with your HANDS up

[small_l_libertarian]

What if each of them were carrying one piece of something that, when combined with the other pieces, made some kind of weapon or bomb?

Also, I think the reason they would shave on the plane is so that they wouldn't attract attention to themselves if they got picked for a security check. If one of them got pulled and the guard saw that all of his body hair was shaved, it would set off alarms.

[CyberAnt]

Maybe it was a dress rehearsal?? I heard they did that many times before 9/11 ... and then I also heard that the men didn't know what their specific target was. The two statements don't jive.

[Lauratealeaf]

Fort Smith is my hometown and we have a pretty small airport. It must have been a serious incident for the Northwest plane to set down in Fort Smith. Just heard on the local radio that the men were shaving themselves.

[CyberAnt]

"men were shaving themselves"

Isn't that what the other terrorists did the night before the attack on 9/11?? Wow! I wonder what these guys were up to?

[eno_]

Easy. And you could buy the ingredients at the drugstore after you pass gate security. I would not touch that stuff - very unstable - but if you plan on dying anyway...