Did Air Marshal Endanger United Passengers?
Sep 8, 2014, 4:41 pm
#1
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Did Air Marshal Endanger United Passengers?
According to NBC, after the attack with unknown substance, the Marshal boarded a United international flight.
How could they know if he was injected with a contagious disease or not?
An on-duty Federal Air Marshal was stabbed with a syringe containing an unknown substance at the airport in Lagos, Nigeria, on Sunday — then boarded a flight and flew to Houston, the FBI and TSA announced Monday.
The marshal was not severely injured by the needle prick, but it was unclear if it contained any hazardous or viral substances. The FBI said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "conducted an on-scene screening of the victim when United Flight 143 landed in Houston early Monday morning."
The marshal was not severely injured by the needle prick, but it was unclear if it contained any hazardous or viral substances. The FBI said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "conducted an on-scene screening of the victim when United Flight 143 landed in Houston early Monday morning."
Sep 8, 2014, 5:00 pm
#2
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Sources told NBC Houston affiliate KPRC that "a group of federal agents in plain clothes were about to walk through security at the Lagos airport Sunday when they were approached by a group of men. Sources say one of them stabbed a needle into an agent's arm and then they all ran away." The agent then pulled the needle out, and then stored it in a safe container, the sources said.
This part really bothers me as the FAM not only knew he was stabbed with a syringe but he still took the flight as opposed to immediately seeking medical attention
Sep 8, 2014, 5:15 pm
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According to NBC, after the attack with unknown substance, the Marshal boarded a United international flight.
How could they know if he was injected with a contagious disease or not?
How could they know if he was injected with a contagious disease or not?
I have compassion for the FAM and the need to quickly get him checked-out, but not at the risk of all those on the aircraft, who, presumably, were not informed of the incident at the time and given a option not to board.
This seems a serious breach of aircraft security and a potential public health threat that should not have been allowed to happen.
“The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few” applies here, I believe.
Addition: Just saw this on the NBC Nightly News, basically quoting the KPRC report.
DEN
Last edited by DEN; Sep 8, 2014 at 5:41 pm
Sep 8, 2014, 6:02 pm
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To be honest, I think I would have done the same thing. I would have been scared and worried, but since whatever the substance was did not kill me or immediately have some symptoms (wasn’t a toxin), if it was any type of disease (hello Ebola??) it would take several days surely to reach the point where I would be infectious. (No, I am not a doctor and that previous statement is only my reasoning, true or false I would not know for sure).
I would have reported it immediately on arrival and headed for a hospital.
I would not have wanted to put my trust in the Nigerian health system, no matter how good in practice it may be.
Maybe he was following SOP (if there are any for this situation?)
I would have reported it immediately on arrival and headed for a hospital.
I would not have wanted to put my trust in the Nigerian health system, no matter how good in practice it may be.
Maybe he was following SOP (if there are any for this situation?)
Sep 8, 2014, 6:14 pm
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Agreed--few diseases manifest fast enough to be a threat during the flight.
On the other hand, by not taking it perhaps that was the objective--get the FAM off the flight to attack it.
On the other hand, by not taking it perhaps that was the objective--get the FAM off the flight to attack it.
Last edited by essxjay; Sep 29, 2014 at 11:44 am
Sep 8, 2014, 6:27 pm
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I just hope this leads to a written policy REQUIRING any such incidents to be immediately reported and the person isolated until medically released.
Sep 8, 2014, 7:09 pm
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Winner! ^ tho I would add that it must be "publicly" reported as if reported internally, we'll never know what danger (potential or real) there was as it will be quashed due to "national security" 
and that imho is just as bad as the FAM being allowed to work the flight after being stabbed with the syringe
and that imho is just as bad as the FAM being allowed to work the flight after being stabbed with the syringe
Last edited by essxjay; Sep 29, 2014 at 11:45 am
Sep 8, 2014, 8:45 pm
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Does the country have an involuntary yellow fever vaccine when unable to provide vaccination documentation and not willing to bribe the health officials there?
Sep 9, 2014, 12:16 am
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per this report:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014...lagos-airport/
and this:
and before someone goes on the FoxNews or Daily Mail rant, there are other sources these were just the fastest to find any quote after I read it on Italian news sites.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014...lagos-airport/
The State Department responded to the airport to assist the air marshal and his team.
"After consultation with the consulate and physicians, the [federal air marshal] was given precautionary medication," according to the alert...
...An FBI spokesman said Monday night, "out of an abundance of caution, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted an on-scene screening of the victim when United Flight 143 landed in Houston early Monday morning
"After consultation with the consulate and physicians, the [federal air marshal] was given precautionary medication," according to the alert...
...An FBI spokesman said Monday night, "out of an abundance of caution, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted an on-scene screening of the victim when United Flight 143 landed in Houston early Monday morning
The air marshal was quarantined and screened for Ebola on-scene
He was allowed to board the United Airlines flight he was booked on for Houston
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz3CnSFSesm
He was allowed to board the United Airlines flight he was booked on for Houston
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz3CnSFSesm
Sep 9, 2014, 12:20 am
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To be honest, I think I would have done the same thing. I would have been scared and worried, but since whatever the substance was did not kill me or immediately have some symptoms (wasn’t a toxin), if it was any type of disease (hello Ebola??) it would take several days surely to reach the point where I would be infectious. (No, I am not a doctor and that previous statement is only my reasoning, true or false I would not know for sure)
Sep 9, 2014, 5:05 am
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An FBI spokesman said Monday night, "out of an abundance of caution, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted an on-scene screening of the victim when United Flight 143 landed in Houston early Monday morning."
Not allowing the FAM to fly would have been the safe move, at least for a few days. I wonder if the PIC was consulted and agreed to let the FAM fly?
I still believe there were too many unknowns at the departing airport for this bizarre situation to allow him to board that flight.
Would the same scenario have played out if it had been a passenger or a crew member?
DEN
Not allowing the FAM to fly would have been the safe move, at least for a few days. I wonder if the PIC was consulted and agreed to let the FAM fly?
I still believe there were too many unknowns at the departing airport for this bizarre situation to allow him to board that flight.
Would the same scenario have played out if it had been a passenger or a crew member?
DEN
Sep 9, 2014, 10:18 am
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This is a horrible and scary situation for the FAM but I fail to see how his being on the plane could be a risk to the other passengers. As has been mentioned upthread, illnesses take a while to incubate before a person is contagious. Even so, most serious illnesses require more than casual contact to be contagious.
Sep 9, 2014, 10:27 am
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I wouldn't doubt it if someone did stab him with ebola in order to get the US to pay more attention to it, the idea being that if it affects the mainland, we will have to do something about it and that something may trickle down to west Africa.
I know a number of FAMs, and they go to Lagos pretty often, and i surely hope it wasn't any of them. Not that I wish such a thing on anyone, but I'm just looking out for my own people.
I know a number of FAMs, and they go to Lagos pretty often, and i surely hope it wasn't any of them. Not that I wish such a thing on anyone, but I'm just looking out for my own people.