If true, Mr. Stein needs to go after the "policeman" for assault. I've found no other reference to this story. Is the UK Independant a reliable paper?

Humiliation at 33,000 feet: Top British architect tells of terror 'arrest'
To the applause of fellow passengers, the Jewish designer was escorted from a New York flight as a potential bomber. Because, he tells Sophie Goodchild, of his holiday tan
Published: 01 October 2006

Seth Stein is used to jetting around the world to create stylish holiday homes for wealthy clients. This means the hip architect is familiar with the irritations of heightened airline security post-9/11. But not even he could have imagined being mistaken for an Islamist terrorist and physically pinned to his seat while aboard an American Airlines flight - especially as he has Jewish origins.

Yet this is what happened when he travelled back from a business trip to the Turks and Caicos islands via New York on 22 May. Still traumatised by his ordeal, the 47-year-old is furious that the airline failed to protect him from the gung-ho actions of an over-zealous passenger who claimed to be a police officer. He has now instructed a team of top US lawyers to act for him.

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Just what our government wants......create an atmosphere of distrust of EVERYONE.


BOO.......there's a boogey man under your bed! Did I scare you?

So here is how it might play out in a real bad guy scenario.....

After surveying PAX, the FAM is identified...

Bad guy A identifies himself as an xyz police officer and attempts to restrain the FAM

Bad guy B (and C) comes to his aid....

The bad guys remove the FAM's weapon and announce to the PAX that they have restrained a terrorist who smuggled aboard a weapon

FA's are taken by surprise in all of this and can't intercede in time....

PAX applaud these heros as everything fades to black.....

The guy who assaulted and battered Stein should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, including, apparently, lying about being an NYPD officer. And it seems like AA knew that this vigilante criminal was up to no good even before he battered Stein since the crew told him to sit down before that happened. Perhaps AA staff should have restrained him first.

Wow, this is a brilliant "profile" these fools have come up with. Ipods are one of the best selling electronic devices of all time, and I'm pretty sure that nearly everyone has to use the restroom from time to time.

Then again, this is also the airline that threatens to make emergency landings in response to gay kisses

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=607861

Discussed in this thread.

And this a real freaking shame. "Wilk" should be ashamed of himself.

notice the time stamp. I think this thread was started much earlier than that link

moderators should merge these 2 threads

Oops. Sorry. Saw the other one first.

Very well made point. I am sure that is just waiting to happen. Board any flight first and you can spot the FAMs right away. They always look too stiff for a regular traveler.

Actually, having just read both threads, if I merged them much of the flow of the conversation would become convoluted. So let's please continue the thread over here.

Thanks.

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essxjay
TS/S moderator