Authorities Stage Terror Drill In Boston

[sintax]

Authorities Stage Terror Drill in Boston

Sunday June 5, 2005 1:16 AM

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN

Associated Press Writer

BOSTON (AP) - Authorities staged an elaborate anti-terrorism drill Saturday at Logan International Airport, responding to a simulated hijacking reminiscent of the December 2001 plot to detonate a shoe bomb aboard a trans-Atlantic flight.

Operating on the premise that gun-toting terrorists were trying to hijack a United Airlines plane carrying 169 passengers from Paris to Chicago, two F-15 Eagle fighter jets intercepted the airliner over the Atlantic Ocean and forced it to land at Logan.

On the ground, FBI and State Police tactical teams stormed the plane, freed the volunteer ``hostages'' and arrested two ``terrorists'' after negotiators failed to yield a peaceful end to the fictional hijacking.

<snip>

``Operation Atlas,'' which cost roughly $700,000 and brought together about 50 federal, state and local agencies, was billed as the first training drill involving a real airborne intercept of a commercial airliner.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-5052974,00.html

[Algorem]

1. Authorities stage terror drill in Boston

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/national/index.ssf?/base/national-45/1117929452143700.xml&storylist=national

6/4/2005, 10:51 p.m. ET
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
The Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — Authorities staged an elaborate anti-terrorism drill Saturday at Logan International Airport, responding to a simulated hijacking reminiscent of the December 2001 plot to detonate a shoe bomb aboard a trans-Atlantic flight.

Operating on the premise that gun-toting terrorists were trying to hijack a United Airlines plane carrying 169 passengers from Paris to Chicago, two F-15 Eagle fighter jets intercepted the airliner over the Atlantic Ocean and forced it to land at Logan.

On the ground, FBI and State Police tactical teams stormed the plane, freed the volunteer "hostages" and arrested two "terrorists" after negotiators failed to yield a peaceful end to the fictional hijacking.

"Things went just as we hoped they would go," said Amy Corbett, regional administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration...

[Skip Intro]

2. What???

They scripted something and it "went just as we hoped..." - ???

This would be a non-story, a report on planned action that went according to plan (whooooo hoooooo), except that this is in Boston, two days before John Kerry (with support from Ted Kennedy I am sure) brings up DSM in the US Senate.

My justifiably paraniod question is, why Boston, why now?

Is there a message being sent?

[unhappycamper]

4. This drill was originally scheduled for May, but we had

a noreaster blow through the area. Yesterday's 'drill' was a makeup.

[PsyOpsRunsOurCountry]

3. No more color coded alerts. Just these now until the next 9/11 is needed

to hold the Repub line for the 2006 elections.

Think I'll take a bus.