College student detained in Philadelphia
Sep 11, 2009, 5:40 am
#1
Original Poster
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College student detained in Philadelphia
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Van Gogh's "Starry Night" is art. Asking someone what language Ossama bin Laden spoke is the sign the of a moron.
After a couple of more hours two FBI agents appeared and took him to another room for questioning.
They were polite, George said, and asked why he studied Arabic, why he'd been in the Middle East, whether anyone had ever asked him to join a terrorist group, whether he was "Islamic," whether he'd joined any Islamic or Communist (yes, Communist) groups on campus.
"They told me their job is more an art than a science," George said. "They come in and decide whether there's a legitimate threat, and in my case, they decided I was not a threat."
They were polite, George said, and asked why he studied Arabic, why he'd been in the Middle East, whether anyone had ever asked him to join a terrorist group, whether he was "Islamic," whether he'd joined any Islamic or Communist (yes, Communist) groups on campus.
"They told me their job is more an art than a science," George said. "They come in and decide whether there's a legitimate threat, and in my case, they decided I was not a threat."
Eventually a woman from the TSA arrived and began asking more questions, like how he felt about 9/11.
"Do you know who did 9/11?" he said that the woman asked.
George said that he told her that it was Osama bin Laden, and that she responded smugly, "Do you know what language Osama bin Laden spoke?"
"Do you know who did 9/11?" he said that the woman asked.
George said that he told her that it was Osama bin Laden, and that she responded smugly, "Do you know what language Osama bin Laden spoke?"
Last edited by magellan315; Sep 11, 2009 at 5:47 am
Sep 11, 2009, 7:05 am
#6
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TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis tracked down a report on George's encounter, and said that it wasn't the flash cards that got him flagged.
Davis said that George had been selected for screening before he even reached the metal detector by TSA behavioral-detection officers, personnel trained to screen passengers for "involuntary physical and physiological reactions that people exhibit in response to a fear of being discovered."...
But Liberati said that it was the stuff that the TSA found in George's backpack and wallet that really aroused their suspicion: the Arabic flash cards with troubling words, a card that had George's name and Arabic script, and the longer hair in George's driver's license and passport photos than his current clean-cut appearance.
Davis said that George had been selected for screening before he even reached the metal detector by TSA behavioral-detection officers, personnel trained to screen passengers for "involuntary physical and physiological reactions that people exhibit in response to a fear of being discovered."...
But Liberati said that it was the stuff that the TSA found in George's backpack and wallet that really aroused their suspicion: the Arabic flash cards with troubling words, a card that had George's name and Arabic script, and the longer hair in George's driver's license and passport photos than his current clean-cut appearance.
This is another case in which the ACLU needs to become involved.
Sep 11, 2009, 7:45 am
#10
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George said that he told her that it was Osama bin Laden, and that she responded smugly, "Do you know what language Osama bin Laden spoke?"
I wonder whether the TSA lady goes home every night and hides under her bed trembling in fear. It must be horrible to be so frightened of a language.
Sep 11, 2009, 7:49 am
#11
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Van Gogh's "Starry Night" is art. Asking someone what language Ossama bin Laden spoke is the sign the of a moron.
Van Gogh's "Starry Night" is art. Asking someone what language Ossama bin Laden spoke is the sign the of a moron.
How many other violations of the law did TSA commit?
Profiling.
Exceeded limits of a limited administrative search.
Searched for items not a threat to aviation.
I think TSA employees should be charged with every count of any law violated and let the courts hash out the details.
Sep 11, 2009, 7:52 am
#12
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 3,004
"They told me their job is more an art than a science," George said.""
More like playing with finger paints. Art is a product of creative drive, talent, and imagination. None of that is very apparent in this case, well, maybe they imagined George was a threat.
More like playing with finger paints. Art is a product of creative drive, talent, and imagination. None of that is very apparent in this case, well, maybe they imagined George was a threat.
Sep 11, 2009, 7:59 am
#14
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This situation disgusts me and agree that the ACLU should be called in. The TSA type should be assigned to checking freight and never be allowed to have any contact with any passenger.
Sep 11, 2009, 8:14 am
#15
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I just read the article again.. This kid was flying domestically! My first glance was to assume he was flying back to college in Jordan. Somebody needs to take his case pro bono. This is beyond ridiculous.
Oh yeah --
Obviously, the TSA disagrees.
Show us the checkpoint video, Annie. This is reason enough for an attorney to immediately step in, for nothing else than to ensure that the checkpoint video isn't "disappeared."
The "card" was his student ID, for Pete's sake. Heck, I still have an ID from the Russian space program with my name in Russian that I kept for the same reason.
And, I guess the FBI assumes that nobody ever changes their hair length during the 10-year period of their passport.
In a previous life, I worked with some really good FBI counterintelligence folks. There's a reason these clowns were assigned to the airport. I can't speak for the Philly cop, but, I suspect the same thing applies. The reported questioning approach of the TSA employee was somewhere between silly, unprofessional, and embarassing.
The thing that bothers me the most is that this is an example of someone undergoing a warrantless search, detention, and questioning without a lawyer present with probable cause/reasonable suspicion (whichever standard applies) only being that a SPOTNik "saw something."
Oh yeah --
"I didn't have a weapon or anything seditious, just words on paper," George said. "As an American citizen, I think I'm allowed to learn a foreign language and have flash cards."
Davis said that the report indicates that in the screening area, George's "behavior escalated to a point where our officers deemed it necessary to contact the Philadelphia Police Department."
a card that had George's name and Arabic script, and the longer hair in George's driver's license and passport photos than his current clean-cut appearance.
And, I guess the FBI assumes that nobody ever changes their hair length during the 10-year period of their passport.
In a previous life, I worked with some really good FBI counterintelligence folks. There's a reason these clowns were assigned to the airport. I can't speak for the Philly cop, but, I suspect the same thing applies. The reported questioning approach of the TSA employee was somewhere between silly, unprofessional, and embarassing.
The thing that bothers me the most is that this is an example of someone undergoing a warrantless search, detention, and questioning without a lawyer present with probable cause/reasonable suspicion (whichever standard applies) only being that a SPOTNik "saw something."