SF Flight Crew & Passengers Subdue “Unruly” Man from Yemen, Detroit-San Diego Flight Diverted — Bin Laden’s Death Fuels Growing Fears at Airports of Islamic Retaliation (video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on May 9, 2011
Pakistan: Islamic protest against death of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, one of hundreds, perhaps thousands of Muslim protests around the world
A number of incidents at airports occurred over the weekend, fueling the fears of Islamic retaliation for the take-down of al Qaeda mass murderer Osama bin laden.
A Mothers’ Day flight from Detroit to San Diego was diverted this weekend because of potential dangers, a flight that was headed for San Francisco had a man carrying a Yemen passport banging on the plane’s cockpit door. He had to be forcibly subdued by the crew and passengers.
Frightening.
From NBC San Diego, Passengers on Diverted Flight Feared Explosion:
Some passengers on Sunday’s Delta Flight 1706 feared that the plane would explode. The flight was scheduled to land in San Diego from Detroit Sunday but was diverted to Albuquerque, New Mexico after a potential security threat.
Passengers said fears of a bomb on the plane intensified after the plane was landed in New Mexico.
“We’re starting to see fire trucks gather, and medical people and who knows what, but far way. 200 yards away from us probably. And we’re thinking, ‘Are we gonna blow up while we’re waiting out there? Why are they waiting so far away? They think that we’re going to blow up.’ It was really scary,” said San Diego resident Michelle Gross who took the early flight to spend more of Mother’s Day in San Diego.
FBI spokesman Frank Fisher declined to clarify the nature of the “potential security threat” that caused Flight 1706 to land in New Mexico.
From New Zealand Herald News, US plane diverted amid security fears:
A Delta Air Lines flight from Detroit to San Diego has been diverted to Albuquerque, New Mexico, over what authorities are calling a “potential security threat.”
Albuquerque International Sunport airport spokesman Daniel Jiron declined to say Sunday what the potential threat was, referring calls to the FBI. FBI spokesman Frank Fisher declined to clarify and said only that agents were investigating.
Jiron says the plane is in a “remote location” at the airport. The passengers, who were taken off the plane, are being interviewed.
From CBS Detroit, “Threatening Note” Diverts Plane Departing Detroit:
DETROIT (WWJ) – An airport spokesman said a Delta Air Lines flight from Detroit to San Diego was diverted to Albuquerque, New Mexico on Saturday morning after authorities investigated a “potential security threat.”
A friend of three of the passengers on Flight 1706 told WWJ that the plane was evacuated after a threatening note was found in the bathroom.
Delta Flight 1706 passenger Tim Cole described what the captain told passengers before the plane was diverted.
“The first time the captain came on, he said that there was a threat. The next time he came on to give us more details he said that there had been a note left in one of the lavatories,” he said.
The FBI is interviewed some of the passengers who were taken off the plane.
Albuquerque International Sunport airport spokesman Daniel Jiron said the plane was held in a “remote location” at the airport before it was cleared for takeoff again.
Jiron said the 107 passengers aboard the flight were interviewed, as was the crew.
From CBS News, Midair security scares on 3 U.S. flights:
(CBS/AP)
SAN FRANCISCO – Police say flight attendants and passengers subdued an unruly passenger and put him in handcuffs as an American Airlines flight was approaching San Francisco.
Sgt. Michael Rodrigues of the San Francisco police says the passenger was banging on the cockpit door and shouting unintelligibly on Flight 1561 from Chicago when he was wrestled down and put in plastic handcuffs.
He says the Boeing 737 carrying 162 people landed safely at 9:10 p.m. at San Francisco International Airport where police arrested the man.
The suspect was identified as 28-year-old Rageit Almurisi. Rodriguez says he doesn’t know his nationality but he carries a Yemen passport.
Almurisi faces federal charges of interfering with a flight crew. He is being held at San Mateo County Jail.
The incident came hours after a Continental flight to Chicago was diverted in St. Louis after a passenger unsuccessfully tried to open a plane door.
Continental spokeswoman Julie King says Flight No. 546 landed Sunday around 1:30 p.m. at Lambert St. Louis-International Airport and was grounded about an hour before leaving for Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford confirmed an “unruly” passenger tried to open the door.
FBI and airport police in St. Louis were questioning the passenger. Lambert spokesman Jeff Lea said the 34-year-old Illinois man got up 20 minutes after takeoff and said he had to get off the plane. No charges have been filed.
Aviation experts say it’s impossible to open a door during flight because of pressurized air in the cabin.
From Associated Press, Crew subdues man banging on cockpit during flight:
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Crew members and passengers wrestled a 28-year-old man to the cabin floor after he began pounding on the cockpit as an American Airlines flight approached San Francisco, the third security incident in a day on U.S. planes, authorities said Monday.
The man was yelling unintelligibly as he brushed past a flight attendant about 10 minutes before American Airlines Flight 1561 was due at San Francisco International Airport Sunday night, Sgt. Michael Rodriguez of the San Francisco police said.
A male flight attendant tackled the suspect, who carried a Yemen passport, and other crew members aided as the suspect banged on the cockpit door.
“He asked for help; a couple of passengers joined in,” Rodriguez told The Associated Press. “They were able to get him to ground and a flight attendant put him in plastic handcuffs.”
The Boeing 737 carrying 162 people landed safely at 9:10 p.m. and the man was taken into police custody.
He was identified as 28-year-old Rageit Almurisi. Though he carried a Yemen passport, it wasn’t clear if his nationality was also Yemeni, Rodgriguez said.
Some annoying babbling in this news program about air travel fears, of Islamic retaliation, but it has a few bits of pertinent information.
FOX Providence: The Buzz: Travel Security | May 2011
No word on how the jet fuel at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel was contaminated — whether it is or is not related to the assassination of Bin Laden has not been disclosed.
From Globes, All domestic Israeli flights still grounded:
Three days after Ben Gurion Airport was paralyzed when contaminated jet fuel was found, all domestic Israeli flights were cancelled this morning amid additional fears regarding the same problem.
International flights are operating normally with carriers aware of the problem and refueling in neighboring countries where necessary.
At this stage it is not possible to estimate the financial damage to Israeli airlines, nor to Paz Oil Company Ltd. (TASE:PZOL) whose units Paz Aviation Assets Ltd. and Paz Aviation Services Ltd. have the aviation fuel services contract.
Meanwhile, “IDF Radio” (Galei Zahal) reports that Paz has not received any definitive results from the samples of the contaminated fuel that it sent to a German laboratory. The German laboratory, which was supposed to sent the results today, has refused to examine the samples for reasons which are not yet clear.
About the author
Don’t.Let.Muslims.Fly.Evah.
If they won’t police themselves, we’ll have to handle it.