Machine-guns found on airliner (WorldNetDaily)

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | 11/23/2003 | Joseph Farah

[PeteFromMontana]

New York-bound Czech flight forced to land in Iceland Posted: November 23, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern

Editor's note: Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin is an online, subscription intelligence news service from the creator of WorldNetDaily.com – a journalist who has been developing sources around the world for the last 25 years.

© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

When a New York-bound Czech Airlines flight was diverted to land in Iceland after a bomb threat was e-mailed to the U.S. Embassy in Prague, no bomb was found – but, according to Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, two tons of machine-guns were discovered in the baggage hold.

The plane, which carried 174 passengers and crew, made an unscheduled landing Tuesday in Iceland, after the airline received a warning that a bomb was on board.

The threat was delivered in an e-mail to the U.S. Embassy in Prague, which passed it on to the airline in the late afternoon. The plane had just passed Iceland when it received the threat and had to turn around to land at a U.S. military airfield.

U.S. military authorities coordinated the evacuation of the plane.

''Who knows what terrorist group those were heading to in the States and what carnage we prevented from occurring in the U.S. by intercepting the delivery,'' said one U.S. military source

The threat of a bomb on the civilian airliner was heightened because of the fact that President Bush's Air Force One was flying through the same airspace over Iceland at the same time in the opposite direction on his way to England.

The 174 passengers on the Czech flight continued on to New York the next day.

[John H K]

When a New York-bound Czech Airlines flight was diverted to land in Iceland after a bomb threat was e-mailed to the U.S. Embassy in Prague, no bomb was found – but, according to Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, two tons of machine-guns were discovered in the baggage hold.

Based on Farah's repeated and obvious utter cluelessness about anything military, I'd bet a lot of money they weren't ACTUAL "machine guns."

[PeteFromMontana]

"they weren't ACTUAL "machine guns."




Like maybe, Pogo sticks?

[John H K]

The media describes pretty much any weapon that has a magazine of more than one round as a "machine gun."

Whether it's semi-auto, auto, or not. They'll describe an M-16, an Uzi, etc. as a "Machine Gun" even though nobody in the military would.

[templar]

Whether it's semi-auto, auto, or not. They'll describe an M-16, an Uzi, etc. as a "Machine Gun" even though nobody in the military would.

Parts kits and dummy guns also seem to get described this way on occasion. Wonder if these were actually parts kit imports and not actual functional machine guns? Two tons seems more like a commercial shipment than a clandestine terrorist smuggling effort, but who knows (or ever will know)?

[Sender]

I too am skeptical about media claims of 'machine guns', but if in fact it was a smuggled, nondeclared shipment of guns, they could well be machine guns since due to the illegal nature of the shipment, it really doesn't matter what kind of guns they are.

If I were taking the risk (rather stupid actually, since customs x-rays everything) to smuggle guns into the US, they would sure as hell be machine guns. I wouldn't take the risk to send .22 sporters or Kerry's shotgun.

[FreedomPoster]

You'd have to wonder why parts kits would be getting air-freighted.

[null and void]

Now if it were me that found them, I slit the chambers and putty the slits over with a weak metal, and not tell anyone.

But that's just me..

[Yasotay]

Many possible reasons....

Quicker .... less exposure to salt .... the booking agent made a good deal .... the airlines needed the money.

[Consort]

Look for a passenger named Kelly.

[Sir Charles]

***Based on Farah's repeated and obvious utter cluelessness about anything military, I'd bet a lot of money they weren't ACTUAL "machine guns."***

So, you think it was just legal cargo?

[Plutarch]

two tons of machine-guns were discovered in the baggage hold...

One machine gun is contraband smuggled aboard for a terrorist plot. Two tons of "machine guns" is air cargo.

This story will fizzle into nothing, and be more evidence of the lack of credibility of WorldNet Daily

[PokeyJoe]

yeah, liquid solder into the barrel also works for effect.

[Travis McGee]

WTF?

[tubebender]

Headed to Wal-Mart in time for Christmas...

[Crowcreek]

Heck, guys in Montana will load two tons of machine guns into a pickup just for extra traction on winter roads.

[templar]

You'd have to wonder why parts kits would be getting air-freighted.

I'm thinking that at about 12 or 14 pounds a kit it would make about 275 kits (thinking small arms, not heavy guns) with packaging. Probably not enough to merit shipping by boat, and maybe about the same overall cost. And much faster than waiting for a container of small shipments to the same destination to get filled and shipped by boat.

I could be completely wrong, of course. But it would seem unwise to ship several hundred active machine guns in one single shipment if you were a small terrorist organization. A number of smaller shipments would seem to have a higher probability of success in getting some through. Of course, this could also be a smaller shipment in a much larger operation.

[null and void]

yeah, liquid solder into the barrel also works for effect.

Nope. That they'd see before they fired...

[null and void]

I could be completely wrong, of course. But it would seem unwise to ship several hundred active machine guns in one single shipment if you were a small terrorist organization. A number of smaller shipments would seem to have a higher probability of success in getting some through. Of course, this could also be a smaller shipment in a much larger operation.

Also a much higher probability that at least ONE shipment would be intercepted, thereby tipping their hand. Catching a small shipment wouldn't merit so much press coverage that all the terrorists would know it had been found, allowing it to be tracked to it's destination, and exposing the cell.

Everyone associated with this shipment has undoubtedly melted away into the woodwork. Dammit.

[Crowcreek]

Give them a good coat of rust-proofing first, of course . .