A more worthwhile goal if you never intended to kill yourself...

http://www.boston.com/news/daily/03/attacks_shoe_bomb_father.htm

Father of shoe bomb suspect says his son was trying to win acceptance

By Boston.com Staff and Associated Press, 01/03/02

LONDON - The father of shoe bomb suspect Richard Reid is speaking out.

Robin Reid told the British tabloid The Mirror that his son was making a gesture to gain acceptance by his "fanatical colleagues" when he allegedly tried to ignite a bomb in his sneakers during a trans-Atlantic flight.

Robin Reid said he believes in his heart that his son did not intend to blow up the plane.

Reid also appeared to take some responsibility for his son's upbringing. He spent 18 years in prison for various crimes and told the newspaper he was never around when his son needed him.

He said that led to his son being led astray by what he calls "lunatic religious fanatics."

Richard Reid is currently jailed without bail in Plymouth, Mass., after allegedly trying to blow up American Airlines Flight 63 on Dec. 22 with a powerful mix of explosives hidden in his black suede basketball sneakers.

Passengers and crew members aboard the plane subdued Reid as he was trying to ignite the explosive. The pilots of the Paris-to-Miami flight chose to divert to Boston because it was the closest major US airport.

The 28-year-old British national is charged in a criminal complaint with a single federal count of interfering with a flight crew by assault or intimidation, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Under federal speedy trial rules, US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan's office has until Jan. 23 to seek an indictment against Reid or drop the complaint.

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2002