Government "Lying" about Detroit Airliner Terror Incident Says Attorney, Eyewitness Passenger

[Joanne98]

For OpEdNews: Grant Lawrence - Writer

"For the last five days I have been reporting my story of the so called "sharp dressed man." For those of you who haven't read my account, it involves a sharp dressed "Indian man" attempting to talk a ticket agent into letting a supposed "Sudanese refugee" (The terrorist) onto flight 253 without a passport. I have never had any idea how it played out except to note that the so called "Sudanese reefugee" later boarded my flight and attempted to blow it up and kill me. At no time did my story involve, or even find important whether the terrorist actually had a passport. The importance of my story was and always will be, the attempt with an accomplice (apparently successful) of a terrorist with all sorts of prior terrorist warning signs to skirt the normal passport boarding procedures in Amsterdam. By the way, Amsterdam security did come out the other day and admit that the terrorist did not have to "Go through normal passport checking procedures".
Michigan attorney Kurt Haskell, one of the eyewitnesses that reported a 'mysterious' well dressed man that helped Umar Farouk Abdulmutalla board the plane in Amsterdam and was later arrested and taken into custody along with the terror suspect.

According to Eyewitness Haskell's account at mlive.com, "Today is the second worst day of my life after 12-25-09. Today is the day that I realized that my own country is lying to me and all of my fellow Americans....."

So what does Haskell think the US is lying about?


For 5 days Haskell has been repeating the same story to the FBI about the well dressed man that he saw taken away in handcuffs right after the terrorist attempt on the Northwest airliner in Detroit on Christmas Day. The FBI has repeatedly told him that he is mistaken. But Haskell relates, "When he emerged from the room, he was then handcuffed and taken away. At this time an FBI agent came up to the rest of the passengers and said the following (approximate quote) 'You all are being moved to another area because this area is not safe. I am sure many of you saw what just happened (Referring to the man in orange) and are smart enough to read between the lines and figure it out.' "

The FBI admits that another person was taken into custody that day but says that this person was from another incident. Haskill, according to the FBI, is confused about there being another suspect detained from the terror incident because all of the detentions at the airport go through one centralized place.

Haskill is sticking to his story and also now believes that there is some type of cover up going on.
"Please note that there is a very easy way to verify the veracity of my prior "sharp dressed man" account. Dutch police have admitted that they have reviewed the video of the "sharp dressed man" that I referenced. Note that it has not been released anywhere, You see, if my eyewitness account is false, it could easily be proven by releasing the video," he says

Haskill says the terror incident goes beyond the "sharp dressed man" being taken into custody. He wants us to consider how the Nigerian suspect could have gotten past the tight security in the Dutch airport.

"Seriously think about this people. You have a suicide bomber who had recently been to Yemen to bu(y) a bomb, whose father had reported him as a terrorist, who supposedly was on some kind of U.S. terror watchlist, and most likely knew the U.S. was aware of these red flags. Yet, he didn't go through "Normal passport checking procedures." What does that mean? Maybe that he flashed a passport to some sort of sympathetic security manager in a backroom to avoid a closer look at the terrorist's "red flags"? What is important is that the terrorist avoided using normal passport checking procedures (apparently successfully) in order to avoid a closer look into his red flags. Who cares if he had a passport? The important thing is that he didn't want to show it and somehow avoided a closer inspection and "normal passport checking procedures." Each passport comes with a bar code on it that can be scanned to provide a wealth of information about the individual. I would bet that the passport checking procedures for the terrorist did not include a bar code scan of his passport (which could have revealed damning information about the terrorist)."

So here we have an attorney who is sticking by his story of there being another "well dressed" man that was taken into custody. This "well dressed" man, according to Haskell, not only helped the terror suspect get on to the plane but was taken into custody immediately following the incident. Haskell is sticking by this story even though he says the FBI gave all the witness passengers a veiled threat.

But Attorney Haskell is not the only one sticking to his story, he says there are other witnesses, including his wife, that corroborate his observations. Haskell also asks us to consider the larger implications of how someone like Umar Farouk could have been allowed on the plane to begin with?

Recently, I personally considered how it was possible for someone like Farouk to get aboard an airliner and bypass known security checks. (see Detroit Airliner Terror Incident: A Convenience Theory).

In short, these types of gross violations of security by a man on a watch list just don't happen by accident. But, this incident did happen by convenience.

Just as the United States was in the midst of expanding its terror war on Yemen, we get a 'watch list' Nigerian with links to Yemen that is able to magically elude all security measures to board a jet in an attempt to blow it up. Also in anticipation of this horrendous security lapse, it was reported today that the TSA had already ordered 150 full body scanners before the incident. Moreover, parts of the most egregious rights violations of the Partriot Act are scheduled to expire soon. So, the almost terror incident in Detroit came at a very convenient and opportune moment in the terror war.

Attorney Kurt Haskell is obviously an informed, intelligent person. He knows that his government is lying to the American people regarding this terror incident that he courageously helped stop as a passenger on the plane. The government cover-up has completely transformed his opinion about his government.

Attorney Haskell has been through hell. He almost lost his life on Flight 253, but just as emotionally devastating to him, is the discovery that his government is lying.


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http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/Government-Lying-about-D-by-Grant-Lawrence-091231-687.html

Doesn't sound like the government to me. It sounds like right-wingers with friends in other countries. Maybe this should be looked into too. The FBI is a nest of Bush and Cheney lovers!

[Don Caballero]

1. This guy is an attention seeking whore

His conspiracy theories about the attempted terrorist attack have not been confirmed by anyone else, civilian or official. Here's to praying this guy and his outrageous theories go away.

[donco6]

3. That's a pretty harsh assessment. Any evidence to back that up?

I saw him interviewed on the news. He didn't look like a whore to me.

[Don Caballero]

4. There has been no confirmation from anyone besides this guy

He is an attorney. Attorneys love attention.

[Joanne98]

6. Then why won't Amsterdam release the video?

Seems like a simple thing to do.

[Don Caballero]

9. What video?

I was not aware that cameras were present at the time of the incident.

[struggle4progress]

19. Now there's a demand that guaranteed to resultin nothing conclusive:

If the Dutch have no video of the ticket counter to release, or decide that security considerations preclude the release, we can all claim it's a cover-up and a conspiracy

If the Dutch release video of the ticket counter but it shows nothing interesting, not even the Haskells, we can all claim it's a fake furthering a cover-up and a conspiracy

If the Dutch release video of the ticket counter but it shows nothing interesting, but does show in the background some people who look the Haskells, we can all claim it's a fake involving actors furthering a cover-up and a conspiracy

If the Dutch release video of the ticket counter and it shows somebody who somewhat resembles (but obviously is not) ExplosiveUnderpants, together with somebody who resembles SharpDresser, we can all claim it's a fake involving actors furthering a cover-up and a conspiracy

And if the Dutch release video of the ticket counter and it shows ExplosiveUnderpants, together with some SharpDresser -- but has no audio (a distinct possibility) -- then we would still have essentially no confirmation of Haskell's story, which revolves around what he says he overheard said at the ticket counter, while he was seated some distance away, playing cards with his wife, who says she noticed nothing

[donco6]

7. Weak.

Attorneys love attention? That's what you've got? Hmmm. I think I'll follow it a little longer, but thanks anyway.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[chimpymustgo]

10. THank you for posting this. This "terrorist attack" does not pass the smell test.

I've been reading up on this this morning, having not really focused on it during the holiday.

Father is not just a banker - but THE banker in Nigeria. There are billions of dollars invested in Yemen at risk apparently. I'm trying to find credible sources and read up.

There's more here, folks. Keep your eyes and ears open.

[stray cat]

5. IF accurate at all - who is benefiting from this major cover up? Cover ups don't happen for fun

[Joanne98]

8. It's not a cover-up yet. If it's an attack from the RW to get Obama..

We are probably doing an investigation of traitors in our midst.

[drm604]

11. This story is confusing.

This sharp dressed man was arrested in the US after the incident? That would mean he got on the plane and flew to the US, even though he supposedly knew that a terrorist was on board. So apparently he was willing to die himself.

If he wanted to bring down the plane and was willing to die, then why didn't he just carry the explosive himself? He apparently was able to board the plane himself without undue scrutiny, so why go through the whole exercise of trying to get a suspicious person on board the plane when he could have done it himself?

Why would an FBI agent make a remark about people reading between the lines and figuring it out? A remark like that increases suspicion.

Am I missing something here? The story doesn't make sense to me.

[democraticinsurgent]

14. not the same man arrested in US

The"sharp dressed Indian man" in Amsterdam did not board the plane after helping the Nigerian get on the flight. There is another individual that Haskell now refers to as "the man in orange" who was detained after the flight landed.

[drm604]

15. The article seems to say otherwise.

Michigan attorney Kurt Haskell, one of the eyewitnesses that reported a 'mysterious' well dressed man that helped Umar Farouk Abdulmutalla board the plane in Amsterdam and was later arrested and taken into custody along with the terror suspect.

Are you saying that Haskell is changing his story now? Could that be because the other story made no sense?

[Joe Chi Minh]

12. Our spooks must be tearing theri hair out, it's becoming so difficult

to put on persuasive 'false flag' operations by way of casi(to be pedantic) belli. And the Blair 'war drums' enquiry didn't exactly come at a propitious time.

On the other hand, maybe they don't lose too much sleep, since they hold all the aces, including the media, although they don't seem to have been briefed about 'unhelpful', eye-witness testimonies.

[monmouth]

13. With Bush and Cheney people still nestled in their positions, it would

appear, if I were to speculate, this was a fraudulent attempt to discredit President Obama and make him look weak on security. Cheney knows how much he is hated and probably cringed when Prez put him verbally in his place. Cheney is still boss to a lot of people, again, my speculation.

[yurbud]

16. or their friends in Saudi intelligence or the Pakistani ISI who helped the 9/11 hijackers too

Sharp dressed Indian man helped him get on board without a passport?

Maybe the "Indian looking man" was a member of the Pakistani ISI since they also funneled money to the 9/11 hijackers
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/jul/22/usa.september11

or even a dark-skinned Saudi since a Saudi agent picked up two of the 9/11 hijackers at LAX when they arrived in the US, set them up in an apartment in his building, funneled checks to them from the Saudi ambassador, and was in constant phone contact with the Saudi embassy and consulate until the attack when he fled the US.
http://professorsmartass.blogspot.com/2008/03/foia-doc-shows-911commission-lied-about.html

[Joanne98]

17. Ray Hunt is a large shareholder in the Yemen Natural Gas Co

Shareholders

Total (Project Leader - 39.62%)

Total is one of the world’s top three LNG players, with interests in some of the world’s largest liquefaction plants, which together account for approximately 40% of today’s global LNG production capacity (Adgas, Bontang, Qatargas, Qatargas 2, Nigeria LNG, Oman LNG, Snvhit LNG). In addition to the above projects, Total is involved in developing a series of new LNG projects, including Yemen LNG. Downstream in the LNG chain, Total has interests and rights to supply LNG in regasification terminal projects in several markets such as the United States (Sabine Pass), Mexico (Altamira), France (Fos II) and India (Hazira). Participation in terminals is associated with participation in marketing in the corresponding gas markets. The company has also chartered an LNG carrier on a long-term basis; the vessel will be delivered in 2006. Total’s LNG strategy is to consolidate and expand existing LNG positions and to develop new projects. Furthermore, Total aims to fully leverage its gas resources through participation in natural gas and power generation projects. Total has been actively involved in Yemen oilfield developments since 1987 as both a partner and operator.



Hunt (17.22%)

Hunt Oil is one of the world’s largest privately held independent oil and gas companies, with a strong domestic and international presence. Hunt’s 1984 oil and gas discovery in Yemen has generated over 1 billion barrels of oil exports to date. The hydrocarbon reserves discovered by Hunt contain sufficient quantities of natural gas to underpin the Yemen LNG project. Some US$2 billion have been invested in drilling wells and developing infrastructure to produce, process and export the reserves. Most of the infrastructure will also be utilised for the LNG project, with only relatively modest investments necessary to produce and deliver the gas for liquefaction.



Yemen Gas Company (YGC)(16.73%)

YGC was created in 1993 as General Gas Corporation and re-organised in 1996 as Yemen Gas Company. Its role is to promote gas utilisation in Yemen, thereby contributing to the country’s industrial development and economic growth. Its activities span the entire gas chain, from exploration and production to transportation and marketing. YGC is also responsible for bulk distribution of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to meet fast-growing domestic demand. YGC is fully committed to the successful development of the Yemen LNG project, the largest industrial venture ever undertaken in Yemen.




SK Corporation (9.55%)

SK Corporation participated in Yemen LNG as the leader of Korean consortium comprising SK Corporation, Samwhan Corporation and Korea National Oil Corporation. The Korean consortium also has 24.5% of the exploration and production interests in the Marib fields in Yemen, which came on stream in 1987. SK Corporation is Korea’s largest integrated energy and chemical company. SK is active across the gas chain, from the wellhead to the burner tip. Upstream, it is a partner in the Peru, Oman and Qatar RasGas LNG projects. Downstream, its subsidiary SK Shipping operates six LNG carriers. It is also engaged in domestic city gas distribution and combined cycle power generation through its subsidiaries. Samwhan is one of the leading construction companies in Korea and has been an active player in the Middle East, South East Asia and all other major construction markets around the world. Korea National Oil Corporation is a state-owned company founded to stabilise the energy supply to Korea and a leading exploration and production company in Korea.

Korea Gas Corporation (Kogas) (6.00%)

Korea Gas Corporation (known as Kogas) is the world’s largest LNG importer. Kogas operates three LNG terminals and a nationwide pipeline network in Korea and will import 2 Mtpa of LNG from Yemen LNG for 20 years. As a partner in Oman LNG and Ras Laffan LNG, Kogas has proved its capability and reliability in the upstream business, and is actively expanding its business in overseas LNG projects using its accumulated expertise in the global LNG industry to pursue its goal of becoming a world-class integrated energy company.



Hyundai Corporation (5.88%)

Hyundai, a company incorporated under the laws of Korea and a member of the Hyundai Group of companies, holds 5.88% of Yemen LNG's shares. Founded in 1976, Hyundai is a leading general trading company and one of Korea's largest conglomerates with activities in petroleum, petrochemicals, energy and resource development. Hyundai has been active in the exploitation of crude oil and natural gas since its first participation in Yemen's Marib oil field in 1984 with a 2.45% interest. The company entered the LNG business in the early 1990s with the construction of an LNG carrier and ownership in the Oman and Qatar Ras Laffan LNG projects. Hyundai is now focusing on further expanding its business opportunities across the LNG chain.

The General Authority for Social Security & Pensions (GASSP) (5.00%)

GASSP, which was established in 1980, is the most significant social security organisation in the Republic of Yemen. It covers civil servants who have been permanent employees of the Government providing benefits for old-age, death, disability, and work-related injuries to all governmental organisations, public and “mixed” sectors employees. GASSP operates from 22 branches across the Republic employing more than 900 employees. Most of its portfolio investment comprises domestic Treasury-Bills and deposits in US$ at the Central Bank of Yemen with smaller sums invested in real estate, direct investment and loans to beneficiaries.

http://www.yemenlng.com/ws/en/go.aspx?c=ylng_share

[MinM]

18. US shuts embassy as al-Qaeda 'plans attack in Yemen

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8438128.stm

The US has indications that al-Qaeda is planning an attack in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser has said.

John Brennan was speaking after the US and UK announced their embassies in Sanaa had temporarily closed.

The US has accused a Yemen-based offshoot of al-Qaeda of being behind the alleged Christmas Day bomb attempt on a US jet flying to Detroit.

There are mounting fears that Yemen is becoming a leading al-Qaeda haven...