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The no-shows on a Paris-to-Los Angeles flight that are now being sought by U.S. authorities may have escaped the dragnet due to French authorities quickly announcing that the cancellation of Christmas flights to Los Angeles were ordered for security reasons. According to a report in the Washington Times, the premature announcement resulted in "a chorus of groans" from the Department of Homeland Security to the White House. An unnamed U.S. source is cited as saying that Washington believed that the longer publicity could have been avoided, "the greater the chance to catch anybody else who was suspected of being...

France finds no evidence to support US scare over Air France flights Thu Dec 25,12:47 PM ET PARIS (AFP) - French authorities said they had found no evidence to support US suspicions of a Christmas Day extremist attack using Air France planes that prompted the cancellation of flights between Paris and Los Angeles and sparked a major international alert. AFP Photo   Interior ministry and anti-terrorist police officials said a careful screening and questioning of passengers on the cancelled flights turned up no link to Al-Qaeda or other militant groups. Six Air France flights -- three heading to and...

HOMELAND INSECURITYDid canceled flights avert terror attack?U.S. thinks L.A.-bound Air France jet was set for crash-landing in Las Vegas Posted: December 25, 200311:58 p.m. Eastern © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com New details are emerging about three canceled Air France flights to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve. U.S. government officials say they believe some of the passengers scheduled to board one of the flights from Paris canceled because of security concerns might have intended to hijack it and crash-land in Las Vegas, according to the Washington Post. Police in Paris reportedly questioned 13 people who had checked in for two Air France flights that were...

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