November 21, 2006
Final Destination
Deja vu, all over again:
Six passengers were removed from a departing flight Monday at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and were taken for questioning by police, an airport spokesman said.The passengers were boarding US Airways Flight 300, bound for Phoenix, around 6:30 p.m. when crew members "saw suspicious activity" by the men and called airport police, said the spokesman, Pat Hogan. Police escorted the men off the plane and took them to be questioned, he said.
A passenger initially raised concerns about the group through a note passed to a flight attendant, said Andrea Rader, a spokeswoman for US Airways. Police were called after the men refused requests by the captain and airport security workers to leave the plane.
The crew described the men as Middle Eastern in appearance, Hogan said, though he didn't immediately know where they were from.
This came just days after Sisayehiticha Dinssa was arrested at Detroit Metropolitan Airport with $79,000 in cash and a computer containing information about nuclear materials and cyanide. He was also traveling to Phoenix.
What might all these suspicious characters be headed for Phoenix?
FYI, when you click-thru on the "Old habits" link, the Arizona Monthly article link appears to have expired (the post, my second ever, is over two years old). Chalk it up to link rot.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at November 21, 2006 10:20 AMThat's odd, CY, because I was able to read the link this morning (about 6:30 EST).
Posted by: MikeM at November 21, 2006 01:02 PMOops, my mistake. I missed that you were talking about the link in the linked post. "Nevermind."
Posted by: MikeM at November 21, 2006 01:06 PMThese guys apparently did nothing except engage in their required daily prayer at one of the required daily times.
Posted by: Doc Washboard at November 21, 2006 05:15 PMWell that, and they've admitted to supporting al Qaeda and Hamas-linked charity called KindHearts that had their assets frozen for supporting terrorism.
But no big deal, right Doc? Just as long as we are properly respectful of their rights.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at November 21, 2006 06:02 PMCY, here's what I found at the link you put up:
"They (the CIA) called [bin Laden] a 'freedom fighter,'" Sahin [one of the imams in question] said. "Then they tell us he is involved in terrorist acts, and they stopped supporting him, and we stopped."
The passenger who turned them in and the security guards who yanked them off the flight didn't do these things because they used to support bin Laden. They did it because the guys were praying. Also, they were looking all Middle Eastern and whatnot.
Posted by: Doc Washboard at November 21, 2006 07:41 PMIt's nice to know that there is an airline that takes passenger's concerns seriously. The Imams had to know that their behavior would be troubling to the other passengers.
Either they did it purposefully to frighten people or they just didn't think their strange behavior would cause a stir.
From what I have read at Powerline there is much more to the story than a simple prayer. This makes me think of the old Glenn Campbell song, By the Time I Get to Phoenix We'll Have Jihad.
Posted by: Laura Lee Donoho at November 22, 2006 01:34 AMThey're probing defenses.
Posted by: Purple Avenger at November 22, 2006 04:19 AM
