A first hand tale of the attempt to blow up NW253
Over at the Huffington Post, Roey Rosenblith blogs a fascinating first hand account of what it was like on the flight that Al Qaeda tried to blow up.
Definitely read the whole thing to get soem idea of what it must have been like. I did enjoy his final paragraph:
In a few weeks my vacation is over. I’m going back to Uganda, to work with my Ugandan business partner Abu Musuuza, who by the way is a practicing Muslim (and I, by the way, am a seldom practicing Jew). With our American investors, Ryan Allis and Ron Boehm, our company Village Energy is going to provide light and power to as many people as we can get it to. And even though al Qaeda tried, I’ll be damned if they manage to stop me or anyone else on that flight from going out and achieving our life’s ambitions.
December 29th, 2009 at 11:11 am
A Jewish guy just watched Inglorious Basterds and he has no better ideas what to do with this POS than to discuss agro-processing devices and small solar lighting systems?
December 29th, 2009 at 11:39 am
The whole story is pretty sobering, but one has to chuckle about litigious Americans hollering for their lawyers and threatening to sue. Having dodged death, you’d think they’d be grateful …
December 29th, 2009 at 11:41 am
So a few passengers did more good than a craptonne of security measures ever did.
December 29th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
That and a detonator that fizzed instead of going bang. The guy wont be fathering any kids any time soon from the sounds of things though. The explosives were in his undies.
December 29th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Except that there are other people it seems with life ambitions that are different to his .and voice the same sentiment
December 29th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Breaking news is that those who organised the attempt to blow up the Chicago plane were released from Gitmo in November 2007.
Quote
“American officials agreed to send the two terrorists to Saudi Arabia where they entered into an “art therapy rehabilitation program” and were set free, according to U.S. and Saudi officials, ABC News reported.”
Unquote.
Honestly…
“Art therapy rehabilitation program..?????!!!!”
FFS. You couldn’t make this stuff up.
Whoever released these bastards should be fired. Whole department. Top to bottom.
December 29th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
That’s an interesting account.
December 29th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Oh the joy it brings to see that the sole military super power of this world has supposedly “beefed up” security since September 11 – to the tune of millions, if not billions or even trillions.
Despite these “beef ups” in security an attempted terrorist attack has only just taken place over the festive season, having the means of destruction sewn into his underpants and yet failing to be detected by airport security or by the so-called bomb squads operating in most American airports (or so we hear and see).
This just goes to show that time and time again America’s security and safety is being undermined and no amount of current action is going to change that.
This so-called “war on terrorism” is a shambles and has done nothing substantial to destroy terrorist threats of any kind.
December 29th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
All in the name of Allah.
The West and Islam clearly don’t mix, and the only way to reduce the chances of this nonsense happening is for a radical change in immigration policy, i.e. no more immigrants from North Africa, Middle East etc. We need to face up to the fact our values and cultures are incompatible. The West also needs to leave Iraq and Afghanistan, so they have no excuses for wanting to blow us up. It is just going to keep happening otherwise.
December 29th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
The West wasn’t ‘in’ Iraq and Afghanistan when 9/11 took place. Nor during the decade of al qaeda attacks around the world prior to 9/11.
December 29th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
kiwireader, in Utopia that might just occur.
But here in the real world Muslims have already gained free access into much of the Western world. Muslim populations are strong across Western Europe, America and Australia – unless you propose a radical “deportation” policy to send them all into exile, I don’t see how your opinion makes much sense considering a number of them are now “Western born and raised”.
Muslims are now very much apart of the Western world and we only have one thing left to do really – work with them in an attempt to change some of the terrorist mindsets and/or perhaps influence change within the religious faction most associated to the act of terrorism.
After all, didn’t “Progressive Christianity” change for the better throughout the 20th and 21st centuries?
An example of how the Islamic faith can change with positive influence.
December 29th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Except that the terrorist got on board the flight in Holland.
December 29th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Does that mean compulsory undies checks from now on?
December 29th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Brian Smaller – if you were as informed as I hope you are you would know that the “beef-ups” in American security also involved external flights flying into American territory.
I should have known.
Such beef-ups in external airports outside of the USA would also involve “extensive” security checks and the like. Sadly this was not applied in this particular incident.
December 29th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
FAL – No the checks were not done – apparently the airport didn’t have the right gear or whatever the reason was. I guess they could do underpants checks on every passenger but that would cause undue delays in services. I suggest that they restrict doing those checks to Muslims, seeing as 100% of Islamic terrorists are Muslim.
December 29th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Yep PG, your skid marks will show up in the scanners. lol
December 29th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Brian Smaller “underpants checks” are not at all required in this day and age.
When you walk past security censors – they should be able to check explosives across your entire body (that would obviously include one’s undergarments).
I traveled to the United States several years ago now and before leaving the Auckland airport I had undergone an extensive range of security checks and initiatives. I was actually impressed by such procedures, especially because this was post-September-11. What I am surprised at is the ability for this particular incident to reach the level that it did to become an attempted terrorist attack…
Now you can defend America all you want but I believe concern and surprise is warranted for a lapse in security – particularly concerning the world’s sole super power and its security.
Commonsense must prevail Brian, clearly some lack this and would rather childishly squirm at the thought of having their undergarments removed by airport staff. Unless you appear to be carrying an illegal substance of some sort I don’t see why this would need to occur for security sakes.
December 29th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Apparently that type of explosive won’t show up in the scanners. But dogs can sniff it, that might save us from having to drop our daks.
December 29th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Staggering to think someone who runs something called Village Energy (Uganda) Limited was flying economy. Must have been a late booking.
“Your federally trained flight attendants have the situation under control”
That one was for the state worshipers. Classic eg of govt brain washing. Civilians saved the day and themselves and ultimately the Feds. Not the other way round.
Will anyone in the govt resign?
December 29th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I am a hippy – I don’t wear underpants.
December 29th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Darwin award for this guy for BBQing his junk in the name of allah.
December 29th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
DPF: minor point — you missed a hat tip. See this comment from yesterday.
You probably don’t read all the comments, though. (I wouldn’t!)
December 29th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
” How many people here don’t speak English? Raise your hand.”
They walk amongst us
December 29th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Start profiling now. Should have started it years ago. Is the “right” of Muslim dignity more important than the rights of millions of travelling passengers to not be blown-up in transit? Moderate Muslims, if there is such a thing, would surely applaud the capture of fanatic extremists, by whatever means. If not, why not?
December 29th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Amusing how so many people involved with renewable energy were on the flight. If they were so concerned about CO2, why are they on long haul flights?
I was on a London – Washington DC flight last month and was sitting next to the head of climate campaigns for US aid organisation. They are all hypocrites!
December 29th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
@The Stig
Yes, they should all be sailing from Uganda in tall-ships.
I bet they also eat food and use computers. Fucking wankers.
December 30th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Anyone read the pathetic justification of Al Quaeda in the NZ herald today? While condemning the undie bomber as a ‘madman’ the author goes on to justify his aims (if not means). He examines the ‘Just war’ concept that Obama eloquently set out in his N prize speech and finds the U.S wanting as their response to 9-11(taking Afghanistan) was disproportionate (one of the conditions for a just war)as only indivdual terrorists took out the towers not the whole country. He cant seem to see that they were harboured aided and betted by the country’s govt (the Taliban) which is a nasty regime into the bargain whose backwardness could be said to give birth to such radicalism and so was a reasonable target for such a war.The author then goes on to suggest U.S efforts agaisnt Cuba are morally equivalent to such terrorism. The U.S has backed armed uprisings agaisnt the anti-democratic authoritarian commie Castro usually by ex-pat cubans themselves but without targetting civilians ! Surely this is an important difference. The worst idiocy the writer perpetuates is that Al Quaeda are fighting for ‘the illegally occupied country of Iraq’ Well only so they can replace this benign occupation with a medieval caliphate of ultra radical muslim law. Some liberation !