Rehearsal for Another 9/11?
 

SOURCE:
http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/a...e-misunde.html

So, was this a language misunderstanding or terrorist dry run?

10:13 AM Wed, Dec 02, 2009
Terry Maxon/Reporter

A reader called me, then sent me an email Wednesday morning about an incident that occurred Nov. 17 on an AirTran Airways flight 297.

According to an Atlanta Journal Constitution story, the flight was delayed two and a half hours after a confrontation between some passengers and the flight crew.

The AJC story quoted a passenger sitting toward the back of the airplane who recounted what she saw. That passenger thought it was just a problem with miscommunication.

But there's an email circulating, apparently going viral, from a Texan on the flight, who describes what appeared to him to be a practice run by a bunch of 11 terrorists:

* A guy in the front section talking by phone to a guy in the back, and both refusing to shut off their phones.

* Two in the back watching a porno on a camcorder.

* All 11 got up together to walk in the aisle.

According to the story and/or the emailer, Transportation Security Administration officials and police officers boarded the airplane. A group of 13 people were taken off. After a time, 11 reboarded the airplane, and the newspaper said . Then the pilots and flight attendants walked off the airplane and were replaced with a new crew. Some passengers, including the emailer, decided to take a later flight.

Very curious.

We've had a number of other instances when alarmed passengers witnessed what they thought were terrorist dry runs, followed by airline apologies and accusations of religious or ethnic insensitivity.

Read the AJC by clicking on that link in the first paragraph, then read the email below.

One week ago, I went to Ohio on business and to see my father. On Tuesday, November 17, I returned home. If you read the papers, you may have seen a blurb where an AirTran flight was cancelled from Atlanta to Houston due to a man who refused to get off of his cell phone before takeoff. It was on Fox.

That was NOT what happened!

I was in first class coming home. Eleven muslim men got on the plane in full attire. Two sat in first class and the rest peppered themselves throughout the plane all the way to the back. As the plane taxied to the runway, the stewardesses gave the safety spiel we are all so familiar with. At that time, one of the men got on his cell and called one of his companions in the back and proceeded to talk on the phone in Arabic very loudly and very aggressively. This took the first stewardess out of the picture for she repeatedly told the man that cell phones were not permitted at the time. He ignored her as if she wasn't there.

The second man who answered the phone did the same and this took out the second stewardess. In the back of the plane at this time, 2 younger muslims, one in the back aisle, and one in front of him, window, began to show footage of a porno they had taped the night before, and were very loud about it. Now, they are only permitted to do this prior to Jihad. If a Muslim man goes into a strip club, he has to view the woman via mirror with his back to her (don't ask me, I don't make the rules, but I've studied). The third stewardess informed them that they were not to have electronic devices on at this time. To which one of the men said, "Shut up, infidel dog!" She went to take the camcorder and he began to scream in her face in Arabic.

At that exact moment, all 11 of them got up and started to walk to the cabin. This is where I had had enough! I got up and started to the back where I heard a voice behind me from another Texan twice my size say, "I got your back." I grabbed the man who had been on the phone by the arm and said, "you WILL go sit down or you Will be thrown from this plane!" As I led him around me to take his seat, the fellow Texan grabbed him by the back of his neck and his waist and headed out with him. I then grabbed the second man and said, "You WILL do the same!" He protested but adrenaline was flowing now and he was going to go. As I escorted him forward, the plane doors open and 3 TSA agents and 4 police officers entered. Me and my new Texan friend were told to cease and desist for they had this under control. I was happy to oblige actually. There was some commotion in the back, but within moments, all 11 were escorted off the plane. They then unloaded their luggage.

We talked about the occurrence and were in disbelief that it had happened, when suddenly, the door opened again and on walked all eleven!! Stone faced, eyes front and robotic (the only way I can describe it). The stewardess from the back had been in tears and when she saw this, she was having NONE of it! Being that I was up front, I heard and saw the whole ordeal. She told the TSA agent there was NO WAY she was staying on the plane with these men. The agent told her they had searched them and were going to go through their luggage with a fine tooth comb and that they were allowed to proceed to Houston. The captain and co-captain came out and told the agent, "we and our crew will not fly this plane!" After a word or two, the entire crew, luggage in tow, left the plane. Five minutes later, the cabin door opened again and a whole new crew walked on.

Again, this is where I had had enough!! I got up and asked, "What the hell is going on?" I was told to take my seat. They were sorry for the delay and I would be home shortly. I said, "I'm getting off this plane." The stewardess sternly told me that she could not allow me to get off.

Now I'm mad! I said, "I am a grown man who bought this ticket, who's time is mine with a family at home and I am going through that door, or I'm going through that door with you under my arm!! But I am going through that door!!" And I heard a voice behind me say, "So am I." Then everyone behind us started to get up and say the same. Within 2 minutes, I was walking off that plane where I was met with more agents who asked me to write a statement. I had 5 hours to kill at this point so why the hell not. Due to the amount of people who got off that flight, it was cancelled. I was supposed to be in Houston at 6pm. I got here at 12:30am.

Look up the date. Flight 297, Atlanta to Houston.

If this wasn't a dry run, I don't know what one is. They wanted to see how TSA would handle it, how the crew would handle it, and how the passengers would handle it.

I'm telling this to you because I want you to know. The threat is real. I saw it with my own eyes.

MORE SOURCES:
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/17508

http://www.melissaclouthier.com/2009...orist-dry-run/

Another Terrorist Dry Run: Part II Interview With Witness Dr. Keith Robinson
http://www.melissaclouthier.com/2009...eith-robinson/

Info on Dr Robinson:
http://www.speakermatch.com/keynotes.../602725113.htm

http://espositosmusings.files.wordpr...-incident1.pdf

WEAK REPORTING BY FOX NEWS:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,575558,00.html

And, for what it's worth, SNOPES:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/flight297.asp

That got my adrenaline running just reading that! Im happy to hear he took the actions he did to control the situation on the plane until authorities arrived and for taking a later flight which in turn influenced others to follow.

AirTran doesn't have first class.

How did TSA get on a taxing a/c?

A full reserve crew in 5 minutes? I don't think so.

A self-aggrandizing exaggeration if nothing else.

Pat

Anyone else smell a lawsuit, if this is true?

TR

I'm with PSM.
Add: Jihadists goin' to see the virgins after watching porn. (Right, maybe a training film.)
and: "Shut up Infidel dog" (why not just say "I Kill You" and try to look like a skeleton?)
Way too much drama. Terry Maxon's a sucker.

I dunno, the 9/11 hijkackers spent a considerable amount of time at strip clubs down in Florida while undergoing flight training.

We'll see what happens when the dust settles...which is why I checked snopes before putting it up here...figured if any site would de-bunk this snopes would...

Perhaps. ;)

Pat

Damn I was gonna post this up last night but thought better of it. Not sure how to feel on this, snopes has a mixed response which indicates that something happened, but they cant get to the bottom of it.

I don't think that they would have been wearing full garb for a dry run. Maybe something more like trying to see what response it would garner if they all started getting out of hand.

What is interesting is the response to some of this. I have seen at other sites where other people have had problems with small groups of Arab men on commercial aircraft. This is not the only incident.

Understand your cynicism. My point was that the very liberal couple from San Francisco would be happy to shut down a rumor like this if they could.

PC Monster got your tongue? :p

Out of fairness to you, it did seem "SO OUT THERE" that I did more digging before posting as well - hence all the links in my original post - which included snopes. It had "URBAN LEGEND" written all over it.

What bothers me is the lack of media coverage. If this happened on a flight, there would have been a plane load of witnesses (anyone seen an empty flight lately?) What we need are video interviews posted on the web. Any video should start with a copy of their boarding pass or receipt for the flight.

"FLYING IMAMS" ring a bell? of course they would have worn full kit for a DRY RUN. Why not? One more excuse to claim "RACISM."

You should expect we'll be seeing more of this. Not to mention a law suit from CAIR against anyone who complained and the Airlines for enforcing safety standards...

This is gonna be a long war unless we pull our heads out of our Arse.

My problem is that the PC monster will and does kill.

Solution, regardless of color, creed, religion, thought process, or screaming lawsuit, anyone acting out on an airplane should be deplaned and thoroughly vetted. I mean it should make a background check look like a walk in the park. We have fools that will allow behavior that can only be explained as checking out security and they are then allowed back on the plane.

Boot their a**es and if it was innocent, remind them that they broke the rules and forfeited their tickets, tough s**t, have a nice flight on another airline. Take their names and photos and ban them from that airline.

Right now, there are absolutely no consequences for their action save a bunch of money via a lawsuit. Make those consequences severe enough to put an end to the BS and once again home.

Rant off for now but dam this PC shit is pissing me off.

An alternative theory...
 

If this did occur and was in fact a "dry run", I'm confused as to why they would do it on the ground. I can't belive they would be stupid enough to announce their intentions prior to lift-off. Seeing the response time to TSA is nice and all, but it would be more important to see the response from common passengers and aircrew, as it would be upon the passengers, crew and onboard marshalls to thwart a plot once airborn. I feel they may be "testing the waters" with the population in general and not testing the response time from the TSA/ground grew. If there was minimal response from the people on the plane, it might be encouragement to move proceed with further planning for another massive attack...

From Dictionary dot com

Terrorist don't have to actually cause bodily harm to still be committing an act of terrorism.

I agree this smells a little fishy, but just a little. Woudn't surprise me either way, unfortunately.

or....
 

any chance it could have been a security/staff drill?? :munchin