Suicide hijacking warning
 

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/US/07/30...ing/index.html
From the story:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Department of Homeland Security is warning that terrorists might be plotting suicide airliner hijackings this summer, with possible targets including sites in the United States and other countries.

"As of mid-June, Islamic extremists may have been planning suicide hijackings to be executed by the end of summer 2003," according to a document CNN obtained Tuesday.
[snip]

Does this affect your travel plans? As for me, no, but I really can't face the prospect of how terrible another 9/11 would be.

DHS has lost all credibility in my mind. They're worthless warnings that in my opinion are baseless enough that I simply don't care anymore. DHS has ruined air travel, and I won't let them ruin any other comforts I can afford myself.

[This message has been edited by sowalsky (edited 07-31-2003).]

I am a little unnerved by the warning, considering I have to travel for business in September to NY. I realize that a hijacking may happen at any time, however, given the interviews and communications that the agency has recorded, I think that perhaps this is a credible threat.

I, too, am a little unnerved, since I'm planning a transcon for late August. But I certainly won't let it interfere with my plans.

So how about a little exercies here:

If YOU were trying to figure out a way to hijack a plane in today's climate, how would you do it?

A sampling of the Problems for a would-be hijacker:

1) Passengers will jump any 9-11-types who try to commandeer a plane (heck, it only took an hour or so for the guys on the PA plane to figure out what was going on and act);

2) TSA did catch the gun in the Teddy Bear, so I wouldn't try that route (going through security with a weapon).

How would a terrorist try to do it?

Has anyone seen the movie "Delta Force"?

It started with two terrorists who hijacked a plane and made them land in Beruit (I think that's the place).

Then, they boarded about 10 more terrorists.

It's been a while since I've seen the movie, so I don't remember what the point of the additional 10 terrorists was, but...

Point is that a large enough number of terrorists will thwart the UA93-type of resistance.

The question is, is it possible for these jerks to get 20 or so terrorists on one flight with weapons? Seems terribly unlikely, unless you hijack a plane with just two terrorists and fly it to a terrorist-friendly country. Post UA93, that option is out.

Seems so to me also. That's why I'm wondering what other possible scenarios these crackpots could dream up.

No

This warning comes as effort to stop the Bush freefall.

Distract'em by scare'n'em.

We have had about 100 warnings in the past couple years, and not a single incident on the mainland(outside terriorist) Ashcroft has really raised hell, and destroyed a couple thousand lives in the name of truth and justice.

I am bringing my digital camera on the flight so any ******* tries everything, I can personally help beat the living sh!t out of him and take a picture with his mangled @ss with me in it.

Couldn't said it better myself! DHS and TSA REALLY irritate the hell out of me! Ignorance mixed with arrogance at its best

They don't have to hijack any planes. All they have to do is to coordinate a bunch of guy to say the same story and we'll get all paranoid and worried. They have terrorized us and haven't spent a dime or created one single martyr.

When you have binary-thinking idealogues running this country, it's simple to mess with their minds.

But, how would I take over a plane post 9-11? Use more guys than 4-5. First couple do something that causes the air marshalls to reveal themselves. Second group takes out the air marshalls. Bad guys now own the cabin and have enough people and the recently-deceased air marshall's weapons to deal with any passengers or crew. Not sure how I'd get into the cockpit with reinforced doors. Give me a couple of days to figure it out.

It would be even better to land the flight, taxi to the penalty box & toss the terrorist bodies out of the plane onto the tarmac. Yeah, we'll be branded as murderers, unsensitive heathens & trogdolytes, but you can bet the photos would make the cover of every major int'l. newspaper. Give 'em something to think about.

Murder? It was self-defense, your honor.

Gee... Terroists might try to hijack planes. Thanks for that warning. I kind of figured that out for myself about 22 months ago.