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Mutiny on Flight 613
Daily Mail ^ | August 19, 2006 | CHRISTOPHER LEAKE and ANDREW CHAPMAN

Posted on 08/19/2006 4:54:48 PM PDT by West Coast Conservative

British holidaymakers staged an unprecedented mutiny - refusing to allow their flight to take off until two men they feared were terrorists were forcibly removed.

The extraordinary scenes happened after some of the 150 passengers on a Malaga-Manchester flight overheard two men of Asian appearance apparently talking Arabic.

Passengers told cabin crew they feared for their safety and demanded police action. Some stormed off the Monarch Airlines Airbus A320 minutes before it was due to leave the Costa del Sol at 3am. Others waiting for Flight ZB 613 in the departure lounge refused to board it.

The incident fuels the row over airport security following the arrest of more than 20 people allegedly planning the suicide-bombing of transatlantic jets from the UK to America. It comes amid growing demands for passenger-profiling and selective security checks.

It also raised fears that more travellers will take the law into their own hands - effectively conducting their own 'passenger profiles'.

The passenger revolt came as Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary was accused of using the terror crisis to make money. Government sources say he boasted to an official at the Transport Department: "Every time I appear on TV, I get a spike in sales."

The Tories said the Government's failure to reassure travellers had led the Malaga passengers to 'behave irrationally' and 'hand a victory to terrorists'.

Websites used by pilots and cabin crew were yesterday reporting further incidents. In one, two British women with young children on another flight from Spain complained about flying with a bearded Muslim even though he had been security-checked twice before boarding.

The trouble in Malaga flared last Wednesday as two British citizens in their 20s waited in the departure lounge to board the pre-dawn flight and were heard talking what passengers took to be Arabic. Worries spread after a female passenger said she had heard something that alarmed her.

Passengers noticed that, despite the heat, the pair were wearing leather jackets and thick jumpers and were regularly checking their watches.

Initially, six passengers refused to board the flight. On board the aircraft, word reached one family. To the astonishment of cabin crew, they stood up and walked off, followed quickly by others.

The Monarch pilot - a highly experienced captain - accompanied by armed Civil Guard police and airport security staff, approached the two men and took their passports.

Half an hour later, police returned and escorted the two Asian passengers off the jet.

'There was no fuss or panic'

Soon afterwards, the aircraft was cleared while police did a thorough security sweep. Nothing was found and the plane took off - three hours late and without the two men on board.

Monarch arranged for them to spend the rest of the night in an airport hotel and flew them back to Manchester later on Wednesday.

College lecturer Jo Schofield, her husband Heath and daughters Emily, 15, and Isabel, 12, were caught up in the passenger mutiny.

Mrs Schofield, 38, said: "The plane was not yet full and it became apparent that people were refusing to board. In the gate waiting area, people had been talking about these two, who looked really suspicious with their heavy clothing, scruffy, rough, appearance and long hair.

"Some of the older children, who had seen the terror alert on television, were starting to mutter things like, 'Those two look like they're bombers.'

"Then a family stood up and walked off the aircraft. They were joined by others, about eight in all. We learned later that six or seven people had refused to get on the plane.

"There was no fuss or panic. People just calmly and quietly got off the plane. There were no racist taunts or any remarks directed at the men.

"It was an eerie scene, very quiet. The children were starting to ask what was going on. We tried to play it down."

Mr Schofield, 40, an area sales manager, said: "When the men were taken off they didn't argue or say a word. They just picked up their coats and obeyed the police. They seemed resigned to the fact they were under suspicion.

"The captain and crew were very apologetic when we were asked to evacuate the plane for the security search. But there was no dissent.

"While we were waiting, everyone agreed the men looked dodgy. Some passengers were very panicky and in tears. There was a lot of talking about terrorists."

Patrick Mercer, the Tory Homeland Security spokesman, said last night: "This is a victory for terrorists. These people on the flight have been terrorised into behaving irrationally.

"For those unfortunate two men to be victimised because of the colour of their skin is just nonsense."

Monarch said last night: "The captain was concerned about the security surrounding the two gentlemen on the aircraft and the decision was taken to remove them from the flight for further security checks.

"The two passengers offloaded from the flight were later cleared by airport security and rebooked to travel back to Manchester on a later flight."

A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Malaga said: "These men had aroused suspicion because of their appearance and the fact that they were speaking in a foreign language thought to be an Arabic language, and the pilot was refusing to take off until they were escorted off the plane."


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: airlinesecurity; asianmuslim; bumptotop; commonsense; flight613; frontpage; gwot; islam; islamist; jihad; jihadist; muslim; mutiny; passengerrevolt; publicawarenessup; religionofpeace; rop; saynotojihad; standuptopc; terror; terrorism; terrorist; thereligionofpeace; trop; tsa
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To: Torie

Thankfully, you were not in charge of the situation; and, hopefully, you never will have the responsibility of determining a terrorist threat.


161 posted on 08/19/2006 6:16:40 PM PDT by La Enchiladita (Make your choice and save your tears....AM YISRAEL CHAI!)
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To: VastRWCon; Torie

Lame and not necessary.
You already replied to Torie in an earlier post.


162 posted on 08/19/2006 6:18:04 PM PDT by onyx (1 Billion Muslims -- "if" only 10% are radical, that's 100 Million who want to kill us.)
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To: MaryFromMichigan
racial profiling and mid eastern looking guys on my plane

ASIAN guys?

When did Asian guys blow anything up?

I'd be more concerned about them cooking my cat unless I'm missing something.

163 posted on 08/19/2006 6:19:32 PM PDT by humblegunner (If you're gonna die, die with your boots on.)
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To: La Enchiladita

If this happened on the Fruited Plain, the sequel would be a lawsuit - a quite meritorious one perhaps. Sometimes, once in awhile, a litigious society has its upside.


164 posted on 08/19/2006 6:19:44 PM PDT by Torie
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To: Eye of Unk
I bet if it was to happen here in the US the only person getting arrested will be the ones making the complaints.

Let's not attack America without reason. There is no law against not getting on a plane.

165 posted on 08/19/2006 6:21:57 PM PDT by stands2reason (ANAGRAM for the day: Socialist twaddle == Tact is disallowed)
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To: DejaJude

"Can airlines survive with only Muslim passengers?"

Only if the muslims buy the airlines.


166 posted on 08/19/2006 6:22:40 PM PDT by Dixie Yooper (Ephesians 6:11)
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To: antonico

Again and again.

In the United Kingdom, CHinese, Korean, Thai, Japanese are referred to by respective nationality name, or oriental.

Asians, in the UK, are only those from South Asia. Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans.


167 posted on 08/19/2006 6:22:51 PM PDT by ketelone
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To: Slump Tester

I agree, Muslims should walk.


168 posted on 08/19/2006 6:23:21 PM PDT by TET1968 (SI MINOR PLUS EST ERGO NIHIL SUNT OMNIA)
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To: antonico
"Asian" passengers?

To Brits, in this case "Asian" refers to Pakistanis and Bangladeshis.

169 posted on 08/19/2006 6:23:31 PM PDT by buccaneer81 (Bob Taft has soiled the family name for the next century.)
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To: humblegunner
See post 23.
170 posted on 08/19/2006 6:23:50 PM PDT by MaryFromMichigan
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To: hnj_00
All muslims/arabs are not terrorists...but all terrorists are muslim/arabs!

Timothy McVeigh and Ted Kaczinsky...fine muslims, the both of them.

171 posted on 08/19/2006 6:24:20 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Going partly violently to the thing 24-7!)
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To: La Enchiladita

One other thought. What is the advocated policy here? That Arab looking folks speaking what sounds like Arabic, wearing too much clothing for the weather, and looking at their watches too often, can't fly, no matter how screened? That passenger angst should dictate who flys?


172 posted on 08/19/2006 6:24:22 PM PDT by Torie
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To: Torie

I guess, if you're an ACLU lawyer, you would think that way ...

As I said, as long as you're not in charge of determining terrorist threats, we're in luck.



173 posted on 08/19/2006 6:25:20 PM PDT by La Enchiladita (Make your choice and save your tears....AM YISRAEL CHAI!)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

No, no, no!

In Britain, people would think youre nuts if you suggested chinese were asians.

In the UK, since colonial times, Asian has meant Indian (and now, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and other nationalities that are ofshoots of Britishs India)


174 posted on 08/19/2006 6:25:44 PM PDT by ketelone
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To: SpaceBar
The other day Chris Matthews suggested that body cavity searches may have to be performed

There you have it. When a staunch "conservative" like Chrissy is calling for everyone (except him) to get a BCS, it should be a clue.

175 posted on 08/19/2006 6:25:59 PM PDT by ARealMothersSonForever
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To: Torie
"What is "in order" is my conscience."

Your "conscience" may kill you someday. The rest of us just want to make sure we aren't anywhere in the immediate vicinity when you're exercising it.

176 posted on 08/19/2006 6:26:25 PM PDT by Czar ( StillFedUptotheTeeth@Washington)
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To: Torie
Oh a murderslime cult member was inconvienenced. Boo freakin Hoo!

Their little murder cult has inconvienenced the entire planet!

Litigiate dis!!


177 posted on 08/19/2006 6:26:27 PM PDT by rawcatslyentist (I'd rather be carrying a shotgun with Dick, than riding shotgun with a Kennedyl! *-0(:~{>)
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To: gaijin

So no vegetarians and Jews either.


178 posted on 08/19/2006 6:27:05 PM PDT by stands2reason (ANAGRAM for the day: Socialist twaddle == Tact is disallowed)
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To: livius

It would not be inappropriate in the circumstance you describe to report this odd looking person to the authorities or gate personnel.


179 posted on 08/19/2006 6:28:02 PM PDT by prairiebreeze (Brought to you by the American Democrat Party, aka alQaeda, Western Division.)
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To: mockingbyrd

What continent is the ME located?

Three guesses.

And what is a "person of Asian descent"?


180 posted on 08/19/2006 6:28:32 PM PDT by stands2reason (ANAGRAM for the day: Socialist twaddle == Tact is disallowed)
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