Bomb attack on USA plane

I normally would not bother posting these sorts of tales, but this one is having some spin offs as well.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8430699.stm

I gather he had had some material molded to his body and added another product that should have caused an explosion. Fortunately it resulted in a fire rather than an explosion & it was put out without much damage to anything apart from the bomber.
Unfortunately the method of the attack has thrown the airport security more than a little. BBC news reports today that UK flights to USA are being delayed by up to 3 hours, but did not say if hat was due to even more stringent tests being made.
The bomber was on a 'watch' list, but not on a 'no fly' list.

Because this terrorist flew from my home airport (Schiphol, Amsterdam) this has been big in the news in Holland, also because a man from Holland assisted in overpowering him. There was a security-check, but they didn't find anything suspicious on him at that time. Now security is tightened.

Flying has, again, become less fun.

Jorg, I guess you and I (as Dutchmen) flew regularly from Amsterdam. I remember the most tightened measures were applied for flights to Israel and USA, taking much more time to check in.

Therefor it is unbelievable that someone can pass security with explosives on his body, unless someone helped him!

I'm glad I stay in LOS and not fly anywhere....

Joe

BobHelm "The bomber was on a 'watch' list, but not on a 'no fly' list."
And they "watched" him get on the plane ,,,,,,,,, wonder if he got any extra attention/inspection before boarding?

Maybe:

"A Michigan man who was aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 says he witnessed Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab trying to board the plane in Amsterdam without a passport.

Kurt Haskell of Newport, Mich., who posted an earlier comment about his experience, talked exclusively with MLive.com and confirmed he was on the flight by sending a picture of his boarding pass. He and his wife, Lori, were returning from a safari in Uganda when they boarded the NWA flight on Friday.
Lori Kurt Haskell.jpgKurt HaskellLori and Kurt Haskell
Haskell said he and his wife were sitting on the ground near their boarding gate in Amsterdam, which is when they saw Mutallab approach the gate with an unidentified man.

Kurt and Lori Haskell are attorneys with Haskell Law Firm in Taylor. Their expertise includes bankruptcy, family law and estate planning.

While Mutallab was poorly dressed, his friend was dressed in an expensive suit, Haskell said. He says the suited man asked ticket agents whether Mutallab could board without a passport. “The guy said, 'He's from Sudan and we do this all the time.'”

Mutallab is Nigerian. Haskell believes the man may have been trying to garner sympathy for Mutallab's lack of documents by portraying him as a Sudanese refugee.

The ticket agent referred Mutallab and his companion to her manager down the hall, and Haskell didn't see Mutallab again until after he allegedly tried to detonate an explosive on the plane."

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index ... _at_l.html

Again, I said MAYBE.

The grossly inexperienced head of Homeland Security is having a tough time getting people to understand what she meant to say about this incident.

Napolitano Acknowledges Security Failed in Allowing Terror Suspect on Plane

She's the same one who decided that there were no longer any terrorist acts (they are now called "man-caused disasters") and that there would no longer be a War on Terror ("Overseas Contingency Operation"). I guess the Fort Hood Massacre and this incident throws a monkey wrench into that spin.

Political correctness will literally kill a country.

As a career military retiree, she considers ME a risk.
I wasn't before, but I'm not against reconsiding.

What a daft k@nt. Only O'Bummer would appoint such a goofy campaign contributor.

As a career military retiree, she considers ME a risk.
I wasn't before, but I'm not against reconsiding.

What a daft k@nt. Only O'Bummer would appoint such a goofy campaign contributor.

I can imagine the "helper" having ties to the White House.