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Per Deb on TB2K

Plane with Suspected Bomber Diverted to Boston

December 22, 2001 05:09 PM ET

BOSTON (Reuters) - An American Airlines aircraft flying from Paris to Miami was diverted to Boston on Saturday after a passenger was found carrying explosives, aviation officials said.

Tom Kinton, director of aviation at Logan airport in Boston, told a news conference the crew on the plane who subdued the passenger had prevented "something serious" from taking place.

-- Anonymous, December 22, 2001

Answers

bump.

I read on TB2K that a Middle Eastern - looking man (with a British passport) had the explosives in his shoe. Passengers were alerted when he tried to light them with a match.

If true, sounds like a candidate for the Darwin Award.

-- Anonymous, December 22, 2001


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...-2001Dec22.html

Flight Diverted to Boston After Passenger Tries to Ignite Explosive

Associated Press

Saturday, December 22, 2001; 5:30 PM

BOSTON – An American Airlines flight was diverted to Boston's Logan International Airport Saturday afternoon after a passenger tried to ignite an "improvised explosive" in his shoes, authorities said.

The passengers and crew on the Paris-to-Miami flight subdued the passenger, who became violent when confronted, according to broadcast reports.

A suspect was taken into custody. CNN reported the man was traveling alone on a British passport. Further information about him was not immediately known.

"I'm told the flight attendant was drawn to him by the smell of sulfur from a lit match, and then challenged him as to what he was doing," said Thomas Kinton, interim executive director of the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs the airport.

Kinton said the shoes contained "improvised explosives" capable of doing damage, and the intervention on the flight "appeared to have prevented something very serious from occurring."

The plane was reportedly escorted to Logan by two F-15 fighter jets. The 185 passengers and 12 crew members were safely taken off the plane.

AP-ES-12-22-01 1726EST

© 2001 The Associated Press

-- Anonymous, December 22, 2001


Thanks, Meemur.

Just heard the guy was 6'4". Wonder if it will turn out to be our buddy, OBL??

-- Anonymous, December 22, 2001


Would that it were true, but I think OBL is either dead (died several weeks ago from his illness) or lying on a beach somewhere warm, well away from the war.

-- Anonymous, December 22, 2001

But this guy was headed for Miami, right? ;^)

-- Anonymous, December 22, 2001


Yes, flight was from Paris to Miami. Guy obviously waited until the pilot said, "If you look down you can see the coast of the U.S," or something like that. What I want to know is, it was reported that the man had no luggage. Paris-Miami-no luggage. Hello??? Guy traveling on UK passport in name of Richard Reid.

FBI has exploded the shoe. Guy was sitting in wing seat (fuel tanks) and is said to have bitten a stewardess on the hand (shown bandaged) during a struggle. Molded plastique in the shoe is, apparently, an al Queda favorite. Shame they released the sulfur info. Next time they'll use a bic lighter. Oh. Are they allowed? I guess matches don't show on the x-ray.

-- Anonymous, December 22, 2001


Report now is that two doctors subdued the man with tranquilizers after passengers and crew restrained him. I wonder if doctors've been asked to travel with drugs? Hope so.

-- Anonymous, December 22, 2001

Bomber Suspect Overpowered on Transatlantic Flight By Leslie Gevirtz Reuters Saturday, December 22, 2001; 6:45 PM

BOSTON - Flight attendants and passengers on a flight from Paris to Miami Saturday overpowered a man who appeared to be trying to blow the plane up with explosives packed in his shoes, U.S. aviation officials said.

They said American Airlines Flight 63 – a Boeing 767 carrying 185 passengers and 12 crew – was diverted to Boston's Logan International Airport after the mid-air drama over the Atlantic.

Officials at Logan airport told a news conference a man who appeared to be an Arab traveling on a false passport had been arrested.

Tom Kinton, director of aviation at Logan International airport in Boston, told a news conference that flight attendants and other passengers had "tackled" the man.

"We obviously had actions taken aboard that aircraft that prevented something very serious from occurring," Kinton said.

"I do believe... when he was attempted to be subdued, he said he was wired, words to that effect," Kinton said.

He said a flight attendant had approached the man when he lit a match in mid-flight.

"The flight attendants became alerted to the smell of sulfur... and immediately took action when they saw what this individual was attempting to do and literally tackled the individual and got into a wrestling match in an attempt to stop this action," Kinton said.

"The flight attendants were hurt during this, and yelled for help from other passengers and received that help from other passengers on board the aircraft."

U.S. Immigration and Naturalization officials believed the man's British passport, issued three weeks ago in Belgium in the name of Richard Reid, was bogus, a Massachusetts Port Authority spokeswoman told Reuters. The authority operates Logan International Airport.

Kinton said the man had been carrying "enough improvised explosives to do damage". The man's shoes were X-rayed and "both appeared to have wires and other things in them".

Two U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter jets escorted the aircraft to Logan International airport.

Airports around the world have stepped up security following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States in which four aircraft were hijacked and about 3,000 people were killed. Two of the planes were flown into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said President George W. Bush had been briefed on the incident. "The White House has been monitoring the situation since early on today," he said.

McClellan said the FBI was leading the investigation.

Reut18:43 12-22-01

-- Anonymous, December 22, 2001


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