Las Vegas target of grounded plane

[ringmastery]

Drudge says:

Some passengers boarding Air France flight from Paris to Los Angeles 'intended to hijack it and crash land in Las Vegas', the WASHINGTON POST is planning to report in Page One leads on Friday, sources tell DRUDGE... officials said they 'remain suspicious about some passengers who did not show up at the airport to claim their seats on the ultimately aborted Flight 68 from Paris to Los Angeles. One of those who did not appear for the Christmas Eve flight apparently is a trained pilot'... Developing...

[Newsjock]

1. Some of the Post story

Ripped from the wire; no link yet. Note that it's not nearly as cut-and-dry as the headline would suggest.

... The people were taken aside and questioned extensively by police, the official said. Their baggage was searched. But no sign of terror connections was found, he said, and all had been released by 7 a.m. Paris time Christmas morning. Six other passengers who showed up for flight 70 to Los Angeles were also questioned and released.

The French official called the cancellations a ``non-event.'' He added, ``There is no danger... And if there was any, specific measures would be taken.''

... For this reason, U.S. officials believe it is unlikely that terrorists might try to divert an Air France Paris-to-Los Angeles flight to a city far from its flight path, such as New York. The Air France flights in question cross the Hudson Bay and eastern Canada before dipping down to airspace over Minnesota, and then taking a sharp southwestern swing toward southern California.

``The only big city near this route is Las Vegas, which they would consider a nice attractive target,'' one informed government official said.

The al-Qaida network has long considered Las Vegas to be one of its top targets for a strike because it sees the city as a citadel of western licentiousness, American officials said. In recent days officials said that the intelligence that led to the government's Dec. 21 imposition of the orange or ``high risk'' terror alert included references to possible al-Qaida interest in Las Vegas.

[joeybee12]

6. Lies, lies, and more lies--trying to act as if they thwarted something

Made up a non-existent terrorist threat just to say they were on the ball.

Boy, are we really screwed.

[pinto]

10. it'll be "interesting" to see how this shakes out, obviously something

happened...6 flights cancelled.

[Shadder]

12. That in itself is misleading

The only thing happened is that they made the whole thing up again. Just more lies. There were 3 flights that were canclled. The othert 3 were the return flight s there the planes would have gone back to Paris from LAX. Those never posed any sort of threat, but you can't fly a airplane that is not in there. They had no choice but to cancel the return flights. Don't bother trying to read anything more into it.

[mouse7]

16. Yeah, and an underwire bra shut down LaGuardia the other day

90 minutes closed because of a woman with an underwire bra.

There's always "something." It's whether that "something" is legit, or just overly panicked security personnel.

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. Here's some more info on Yahoo News

France Says No Proof of Hijack Plot Found

Seems like a whole big fuss about nothing fortunately.

Maybe Tom Ridge needs to stop listening to his 'private' intelligence sources and go back to relying of the CIA?

[Bozola]

7. You bet!

He needs his "informed sources" to leave the cesspool of the FreeRepublic and go back to analyzing the stall walls in the public lavatories in the DC Metro.

[0rganism]

15. Note that this article discredits itself via the headline

"FRANCE Says", not "Investigators Say" or even "French Investigators Say".

That "France" feeds right into the knee-jerk anti-France attitude of nationalist USAns, and bounces off into the memory hole.

[Shadder]

3. More lies

Several days ago we talked about the fact that there was no doubt that they would prevent a terrorist attack around Christmas. Sure they did. And the turkey was real too.....

There was never any threat, this entire thing was just one more poorly scripted ShrubCo production. One more sad attempt at crying "Wolf!".

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. fortunately our local connies are finally asking

IS BUSH LYING AGAIN?

That was the only good news of the whole mess

[Shadder]

5. Hell, it's easy to tell when he's lying

His lips are moving.

Best wished for a Bush-free New Year!

[pinniped]

8. Uh, add this to the list of 1,000+ thwarted attacks since 9/11/03.

Did they find a journal in a dirt hole in Iraq or something?

Lying bastards.

[Deesh]

9. Right-Wing Suicide Pilots

The target was Las Vegas!? Wow. I could see some guilt-crazed, self-hating right-wing fanatic flying a plane into one of the casinos or something -- to singlehandedly take out a symbol of sin and decadence, etc. That would be kind of exciting.

But not al-Qaeda. Seems like they would have bigger fish to fry.

Were all the grounded planes from Air France? Is this Wolfowitz and Perle getting back at the French for not licking Bush's boots?

[jobycom]

14. Yes. I loved the line where US officials claimed that LV was a target

because it is a symbol of licentiousness. These are the same officials who keep claiming that terrorists like to attack on significant dates, even though they rarely do.

I agree with you, these experts are discribing American right-wing fruitcakes (redundant, sorry), not "Muslim" terrorists. True terrorists prefer to strike where and when it is least expected. Kind of goes alonng with that whole "make them believe they can never be safe" concept.

[SharonAnn]

26. Hmmm, maybe Bill Bennett was the target? I hear he hangs out

in Las Vegas.

[ronnykmarshall]

24. Yeah real "exciting"

Since I'm going to Vegas for New Years.

[IMayBeWrongBut]

11. If I were a trained middle eastern pilot and

there was a orange alert in the US I might just cancel my trip too to avoid the endless anal cavity searches...

[ConcernedCanuk]

13. Absolute Fantasy ! - I hope the US sheeples don't buy into this fairy-tale

. . First of all, if the sheeples remember - the 9-11 planes were hi-jacked INSIDE the USA.

. . Does anyone think the terrorists are stupid enough to try an INLAND target from ACROSS the Ocean ?

. . IF the terrorists managed to hijack a plane overseas, I'm sure the target would be one of convenience, either off-shore, or right on a coast.

. . IF the terrorists have an INLAND target, rest assured they will hijack a plane INSIDE the USA

. . AND - I find it positively NOT a coincidence that France opposed the war, and they are the only country who's flights were canceled - 3 FROM France, and 3 TO France (now why would any plane going TO France be a threat ?)

'Tis another BFEE fairy-tale - plain and simple - -

[nadinbrzezinski]

22. Remember they also said tha Mexico

was a threat the airline targetted was Aeromexico, formerly the state owned airline... Air France is also a state owned airline

Oh and Mexico also told them where to go... somethign about Democracy, when Fox saw how many in Mexico opposed the war he had
an epiphany as it were.

[54anickel]

25. Yep, and don't forget it was the FULL fuel tanks that made 9-11 more

"sucessful" than anyone could even dream of. An overseas flight just wouldn't be conducive. Low on fuel, too much time in the air to be discovered and thwarted. Just wouldn't fit the MO.

[mouse7]

17. Just had a sick thought

This has nothing to do with supposed plot, just a comment on Vegas and Vegas life.

You realize that many standing on Las Vegas Boulevard might applaud as a airliner hit the Bellagio or Mirage, mistaking it for just another of the staged effects like the Volcano or the Pirate Ship.

[peterh]

18. It just so happens that Bill Bennett….

Tends to frequent those two casinos….if he’s maxed his line there, those are the two I would like to be far away from.:nuke:

[uhhuh]

19. I thought the terrorists love Las Vegas.

Didn't they make a big point of noting that many of the 9/11 hijackers made several trips to Las Vegas, gambling and watching strip shows? Why would they want to spoil their fun?

[classics]

20. I'm so sick of this crap.

I swear everyone hiding behind anonimity just makes stuff up as they go along.

I read one 'story' today that quoted SEVEN anonymous sources and NO named sources. They are just making this stuff up with no accountability at all, both="0" press and the government workers they call on.

[AlFrankenFan]

21. Oy vey

If it's true and not just a load of b.s. I'm glad it was averted because my grandparents are less than 10 minutes outside of Las Vegas.

[The Sushi Bandit]

23. Lies, ALL LIES!

this is another deversion to keep americans afraid and in the hands of the Bushites

[RedSock]

27. here's the link

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A30985-2003Dec25?language=printer

[pinto]

28. AP update: (link)

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGA3LM0OOOD.html



WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. investigators want to speak with a small number of people in Paris who failed to show up for boarding flights to Los Angeles that fell under close scrutiny in a possible terrorist plot, including one pilot-trainee, a U.S. official said Friday.

<snip>

Officials in Washington and Nevada disputed a published report Friday that the flight cancellations thwarted a possible terrorist plot to crash an airliner in Las Vegas. Jerry Bussell, Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn's adviser on homeland security, said federal Homeland Security officials told him there was no known threat to Las Vegas.