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US Air Marshalls Protect Passengers From "Bearded Passengers"

by Open-Publishing - Thursday 24 August 2006
3 comments

Attack-Terrorism USA Transports

Passengers on U.S. plane tell of air marshal action

Reuters | August 24 2006

Passengers aboard a U.S. plane bound for India and forced to turn back to Amsterdam said air marshals swooped after 12 people began fidgeting with mobile phones and plastic bags, Dutch media said on Thursday.

The 12 were arrested on Wednesday after the plane landed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. Prosecution authorities said they were still holding the 12 but would not give their identities or nationalities.

"I saw the air marshals run and I knew something was amiss," a 31-year-old businessman aboard the plane told Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad.

"Some had beards, others were unshaven, one was wearing a robe. Some had baseball caps," another passenger told the paper.

Other passengers commented those arrested were from Asia and aged between 25 and 35.

Two Dutch F-16 fighter jets accompanied the 273-seat DC10-30 plane which had reached German airspace en route to Mumbai before it was forced to turn back to Schiphol.

The same flight departed for Mumbai, India’s financial hub, on Thursday morning at 0830 GMT after passengers spent the night in hotels.

Dutch police can hold suspects for three days without charge, extended by another three days in special circumstances.

"All 12 are still being held but we cannot give any information about their identity," said a spokesman for the Dutch public prosecutor’s office.

Passenger Sarat Menon told Dutch daily De Telegraaf: "Shortly before the flight I spoke to them in a coffee bar. I didn’t detect anything suspicious."

He added the situation later on the plane remained calm throughout.

Security has been increased at airports worldwide in the last two weeks after British police said they had foiled a plot to blow up planes in the mid-Atlantic using liquid explosives disguised as drinks.

Mumbai has also been on high alert after commuter train bombings on July 11 that killed 186 people.

The return of the Northwest plane to Amsterdam did not lead to heightened security and did not affect other flights at Schiphol — Europe’s third largest cargo airport and fourth biggest passenger hub — an airport spokeswoman said.

Forum posts

  • Well, we know men with beards and long hair are probably terrorists. Jesus had a beard and long hair. They had to crucify him to get rid of him and stop all his rabblerousing. Thank goodness we have people like Northwest Airlines watching out for our safety. That’s the company that recently published a pamphlet for the employees they’ve been downsizing as quickly as they can. And suggested one way to make ends meet was to go dumpster diving. NWA really cares for us all.

  • So let me understand this. We are now being protected from facial hair?! Don’t most Orthodox Jews wear beards? Will little old rabbis be strong-armed to the ground and tasered as well as all those Wascally Awabs?

  • If you are dumb enough and use Nazi airlines: all Americans airlines, British Airways + Israels - you hand yourself over to unpredictable behavior, also American Nazi Airline worker think they are great.
    Just don’t use this airlines anymoore and avoid also code share flights. Why pay and put yourself in danger. There is enough to choose from if you can’t avoid air travelling nowadays.
    And of course don’t go to Britain or the United States.

    Let this people have their prison country by themselves.