NORTHWEST FLIGHT 327 (Reinhard)

The Oregonian ^ | June 3, 2007 | David Reinhard

[jazusamo]

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Here's what we know happened on Northwest Flight 327 back on June 29, 2004:

Thirteen Middle Eastern men -- 12 from Syria, one a permanent U.S. resident from Lebanon -- had one-way tickets for the weekday nonstop from Detroit to Los Angeles. The men, a musical group and their U.S. promoter, took seats all over the plane. Takeoff was delayed when one man with a limp refused to move from an emergency row, pretending he did not understand English.

In flight, one or two of the men walked the aisle, seeming to count passengers. One rushed to the front of the plane in the direction of the cockpit, peeling off at the last moment into the first-class restroom. There he remained for 20 minutes. One of the men went into a lavatory with a large McDonald's bag and made a thumbs-up sign to another man upon returning. Another made a "slashing motion across his throat, appearing to say "No." Several of the men spent "excessive time" in the lavatories, and one returned to his seat reeking of toilet bowl chemicals. Several of the men got up when the seat belt sign came on in preparation for landing.

We know all this, not from one of the Flight 327 passengers, though passenger Annie Jacobsen did post an Internet article on the behavior she witnessed and the terror she felt that day. We know all this and more, because of a recent report by the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security -- a report only made public thanks to The Washington Times' doggedness over two years.

When Jacobsen recounted these suspicious doings a few weeks later and suggested they might be a "dry run" for a terror hit, she became the issue. The government not only denied anything was amiss -- nothing here but a bunch of Syrian musicians on their way to a gig, move along now -- but air marshals let it be known that she was really more of a concern than the 13 men. And that was the least of it. Some writers mocked Jacobsen as a hysteric, a bigot and a bad writer to boot.

The inspector general report didn't look into her writing, but it makes clear she was on to something.

It turns out that air marshals were concerned about the men even before they boarded. Six arrived at the gate as a group and proceeded to split and act as if they didn't know each other. An air marshal said they were sweaty and nervous. Their behavior was, according to one marshal, "unusual." It also turns out that Jacobsen and other passengers weren't the first folks on the plane troubled by the men's behavior. Well before Jacobsen approached the flight attendants about the men, the attendants and marshals were on the case. Law-enforcement officials were waiting for Flight 327 when it landed. They detained all 13 for a short time, releasing them after questioning only two.

Here it gets even more disturbing.

Homeland Security officials failed to report the incident to the Homeland Security Operations Center, the nation's nexus for information sharing and domestic incident management. This despite earlier FBI warnings that terrorists were planning to use ready-to-build bombs that could be assembled in airplane bathrooms. This despite an FBI warning in April 2004 that terrorists may try to use cultural and sports visas to enter the United States. This despite the fact that the Syrians were traveling on entertainment visas.

Not until two days after the Washington Times reported on the flight and White House terrorism officials asked about the incident did Homeland Security folks enter it in the Operations Center's logs.

The incident never made it into the government's National Threat and Incident Database.

In a background check for a visa-extension prior to the flight, eight of the 12 Syrians had "positive hits" for past criminal records or suspicious behavior.

Only when government agencies started investigating the incident did they discover the promoter had been involved in a similar incident with seven other men on a January Frontier Airlines flight from Houston to San Francisco. He was detained in September on a return trip from Turkey, the report says, though the details are redacted.

Was this a dry run or an aborted attack? The Washington Times showed the redacted report to former air marshals. Their conclusion: It could be either. In addition, Flight 327 is not the first such probe.

It hardly matters.

The inspector general's report reveals a system breakdown -- if there was a system to break down. And the fact that the incident was deemed worthy of investigation only after media reports and White House inquiries suggests it might be worse than that.

"I think it now merits an investigation of a cover-up," terrorism expert Steve Emerson told me week.

And how.

Here's something real Congress should investigate.

And Annie Jacobsen should be the first witness.

[jazusamo]

Attention Henry Waxman, here's a genuine reason for a congressional investigation.

[3AngelaD]

This is a first-rate summary of what happened. Thanks for posting it. See also:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1841471/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1842448/posts

[alicewonders]

This is so frightening! WTH is wrong with our government right now?

[jazusamo]

Thanks for posting those links, they are both excellent articles.

[DPMD]

Okay, sure, maybe the Dept of Homeland Security is out to lunch on homeland security. And maybe they did blow off an incident that was obvious to even the most casual observer. And maybe it did take three years for anyone to think something was up. And maybe they did focus, typically, on the informant (Jacobsen) as the root of all evil rather than the actual root of all evil. And maybe the Dept of HS does think Americans are racist rubes, and that there’s nothing worse than an informant. But what counts is that the Director of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, thinks Bloato Boozo Kennedy is “awesome.” Sleep soundly.

[jazusamo]

I wish I knew. It’s things like this that cause people that are slow to criticize the efforts of our government to protect us to lose faith in them.

[ishabibble]

NYC PIPELINE - GUAYANA

FORT DIX SIX - ALBANIA

WTC - MIDDLE EAST

That’s what’s wrong with our country. The gov’t wants everyone to think that the amnesty bill is about solely Mexicans and other Hispanics, but it’s not.

Every day our troops fight the Muslim terrorists on the battlefield, and our politicians stab them in the back by turning a blind eye towards the threat that the Muslims pose right here.

If this latest plot in NYC had worked and killed thousands of NYer’s in their homes, how many of our soldiers would have to come back from Iraq or Afghanistan to bury a loved one killed on U.S. soil? Those !@##$&@$$ fools in D.C. are playing with our lives.

[Grampa Dave]

Every time I read an editorial by this gentleman, David Reinhard. I am surprised that he was hired and still works for the Hate America Oregonian. Below is one of his hard hitting editorials against the NY Slimes traitors:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1657984/posts

Who died and left you president of the United States? (NYT)
Oregonian ^ | 6-29-06 | David Reinhard, Associate Editor

Posted on 06/29/2006 1:54:16 PM PDT by veronica

Dear Bill Keller:

Remember me? We met in the elevator here at The Oregonian recently. Your decision to expose a secret program to track terrorist funding got me to thinking I had better write and apologize. I don’t think I was sufficiently deferential on our brief ride together. I treated you like the executive editor of The New York Times who used to work for The Oregonian. I had no idea I was riding with the man who decides what classified programs will be made public during a war on terror. I had no idea the American people had elected you president and commander in chief.

Yes, I’m being sarcastic. What’s that they say — sarcasm is anger’s ugly cousin? I’m angry, Bill.

I get angry when a few unauthorized individuals take it upon themselves to undermine an anti-terror program that even your own paper deems legal and successful. I get angry when the same people decide to blow the lid on a secret program designed to keep Islamic terrorists from killing Americans en masse.

“The disclosure of this program,” President Bush said Monday, “is disgraceful.”

Strong words, but not strong enough, Bill.

Your decision was contemptible, but your Sunday letter explaining the Times’ decision only undermined your case for disclosure.

“It’s an unusual and powerful thing, this freedom that our founders gave to the press . . .,” you wrote. “[T]he people who invented this country saw an aggressive, independent press as a protective measure against the abuse of power in a democracy. . . . They rejected the idea that it is wise, or patriotic, to always take the President at his word, or to surrender to the government important decisions about what to publish.”

Too true, but the issue here is your judgment. It would be one thing if you ran this story because the program was illegal, abusive or feckless. Yet your paper established nothing of the kind. In the end, your patronizing and lame letter offered only press-convention bromides (”a matter of public interest”).

“Forgive me, I know this is pretty elementary stuff — but it’s the kind of elementary context that sometimes gets lost in the heat of strong disagreements,” you write, after providing a tutorial on how the government only wants the press to publish the official line and the press believes “citizens can be entrusted with unpleasant and complicated news.”

But this is a false and self-serving choice. The issue is your decision to publish classified information that can only aid our enemies. The founders didn’t give the media or unnamed sources a license to expose secret national security operations in wartime. They set up a Congress to pass laws against disclosing state secrets and an executive branch to conduct secret operations so the new nation could actually defend itself from enemies, foreign and domestic.

Forgive me, I know this is pretty elementary stuff — but it’s the kind of elementary stuff that can get lost in the heat of strong disagreements. And get more people killed in the United States or Iraq.

Not to worry, you tell us, terrorists already know we track their funding, and disclosure won’t undercut the program. (Contradictory claims, but what the heck.) You at the Times know better. You know better than government officials who said disclosing the program’s methods and means would jeopardize a successful enterprise. You know better than the 9/11 Commission chairmen who urged you not to run the story. Better than Republican and Democratic lawmakers who were briefed on the program. Better than the Supreme Court, which has held since 1976 that bank records are not constitutionally protected. Better than Congress, which established the administrative subpoenas used in this program.

Maybe you do. But whether you do or not, there’s no accountability. If you’re wrong and we fail to stop a terror plot and people die because of your story, who’s going to know, much less hold you accountable? No, the government will be blamed — oh, happy day, maybe Bush’s White House! — for not connecting dots or crippling terror networks. The Times might even run the kind of editorial it ran on Sept. 24, 2001. Remember? The one that said “much more is needed” to track terror loot, including “greater cooperation with foreign banking authorities”?

Keep up the good work — for al-Qaida.

[El Gato]

It turns out that air marshals were concerned about the men even before they boarded. Six arrived at the gate as a group and proceeded to split and act as if they didn't know each other. An air marshal said they were sweaty and nervous.

Then why were they permitted to board? At least without a little special attention? Wouldn't want to offend I guess. Better they kill a few passengers, or all of them, I guess.

[AuntB]

That’s what’s wrong with our country. The gov’t wants everyone to think that the amnesty bill is about solely Mexicans and other Hispanics, but it’s not.

You are SO right on. I believe they could care less about poor Mexican peasants and it's a giant distraction. When a guy like Grover Norquist is the man who sets immigration policy for the White house and is founder of the Islamic Institute with ties to terrorist leaning biggies in Islam, we have more problems than poor Mexican economic refugees.

[atomicpossum]

And where is DHS...? In secret meetings to craft an amnesty bill for illegal aliens.

[AprilfromTexas]

bump for later

[jazusamo]

Agreed, Dave. The only thing I can think of for him staying there is that he loves living in the area, he is definitely the only conservative voice at the paper.

That is a great column of his that you posted, thanks.

[jazusamo]

Whoever was the head man of those air marshalls must have thought they’d get some flak from CAIR. It’s pathetic they were allowed to board under those ciecumstances.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

"Only when government agencies started investigating the incident did they discover the promoter had been involved in a similar incident with seven other men on a January Frontier Airlines flight from Houston to San Francisco."

Hmmmmm.

[VOA]

bump

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

"Only when government agencies started investigating the incident did they discover the promoter had been involved in a similar incident with seven other men on a January Frontier Airlines flight from Houston to San Francisco."

Hmmmmmm is right!!!

[jazusamo]

Hopefully this “promoter” is being watched closely but that is probably too much to hope for.

[JayNorth]

NYC PIPELINE - GUAYANA
FORT DIX SIX - ALBANIA

And the MSM keeps calling these two "home-grown terrorists". I don't know what the heck they're trying to push, but there was nothing "home-grown" about either of these two cases.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

It would seem that the Feds prefer to watch these guys rather that arresting and deporting them. Dicey game.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

One thing I haven’t heard about. Did they have their instruments checked in baggage? Did they carry them on? Did they even have instruments? If they had them, could they play them? I’ve had to buy flight cases for my stuff, as the airlines won’t let me carry them on board.

[Grampa Dave]

David has a good history of good editorials, and it was a pleasure to repost this great one.

Thanks for the post.

[jazusamo]

Good questions...In all the articles I’ve read on this I don’t recall that being addressed.

[Grampa Dave]

“”Only when government agencies started investigating the incident did they discover the promoter had been involved in a similar incident with seven other men on a January Frontier Airlines flight from Houston to San Francisco.”

If the mediots weren’t focused on lies and spins to harm America and GW, they would have been all over this.

That would force HLS to be on its toes and not to bury PC incidents like this.

Instead the mediots continue to lie and worry about the civil rights of those who would kill innocent Americans.
This is why I cheer each day when articles are posted about more layoffs in the MSM.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The LA Times Sat edition (My neighbors copy) had a feel good ...whining .....article about all of the departures from the news Room and Columnists departing because of the terrible layoffs at the paper....

[ANGGAPO]

The image of the ACLU casts a long shadow. Perhaps what we need is revisit new laws relating to Treason.

[Grampa Dave]

One of my neighbors, who claims to be an old fashioned D asked me to gather his mail and take his newspapers, the LA Slimes, Ny Slimes, SF GayRhonicle and the WSJ while he and his wife were on vacation for a week.

When they returned, I took over their mail and two grocery bags of unopened fishwraps. He said, “Why didn’t you keep and read the newspapers?’

My response, “You couldn’t pay me enough to open those hate America fishwraps, let alone, read them!”

[redlegplanner]

Remember, D.H.S. is properly pronounced “Duhs”

[lesser_satan]

Counter terrorism, Shrub style:

My fellow Americans, You are the first line of defense against terrorism. If you see anything suspicious, notify law enforcement immediately.

We will then dismiss you as a hysteric and publicly humiliate you for your good-faith efforts. We will probably even lie about the incident to make you look more foolish.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to helping millions of illegal aliens destroy the country. Any who oppose me are nativist, racist, un-patriotic bigots who kick puppies and love terrorists.

[lesser_satan]

Chertoff is a jerk-off, and so is Shrub. See my previous post.

[ga medic]

http://www.snopes.com/politics/crime/skyterror.asp

Check out this article for some additional information. The air marshals from flight 327 are interviewed. It also includes information on the investigation that was completed on the men. The men were musicians, did have a job in Las Vegas, were followed to their hotel. Their performance was even watched.

According to the air marshalls, Annie Jacobson was the biggest threat on the plane, not the Syrian musicians. There are plenty of terrorists out there, and much to fear in reality. It is silly to continue perpetuating stories that have been disproven months ago. This had nothing to do with terrorism.

[mvpel]

This is so frightening! WTH is wrong with our government right now?

It's the government, what do you expect?

[jazusamo]

It is silly to continue perpetuating stories that have been disproven months ago.

Silly? I don't know that it's silly, especially when new info comes out such as the excerpt below from one of the two articles linked at post #3.

Initially, Homeland Security officials tried to downplay its seriousness and suggested that other passengers had overreacted. But the report corroborates the passengers' accounts and suggests that what took place was a dry run for a terrorist attack -- which first was reported by Audrey Hudson of The Washington Times.

[lesser_satan]

You are wrong. You have been lied to. There is new information out that corroborates everything Jacobson said.

I don't believe a g*ddamn word the Shrub administration or his worthless, lying tool Michael Jerkoff says anymore. The lies about this incident, the lies about the Comprehensive-F$%k-Over-The-People-And-Ruin-The-Country Shamnesty Bill, who the hell knows what else we're being lied to about?

Before you call me a troll, I've been here since '04 and was a steadfast Bush supporter up until the last month or so.

[ga medic]

I do not see how any of this changes the actual investigation or the actual statements made by the air marshals that were on the plane.

The report that supposedly changes everything ended with the information that the men were NOT terrorists.

[ga medic]

Please point out to me the “evidence” that this is a dry run. I have read the entire article, and am not seeing anything but a bunch of administrative problems. I see nothing that proves anything other than that the air marshall system needs to be refined.

[ga medic]

You need to relax. I never thought about calling you a troll. Too much stress is bad for you. They have medication for this.

[alicewonders]

I tell you what - if I were on a flight & people were acting as described, I would be totally stressed out about it! It reminds me alot of the conduct of the 6 imans that were asked to leave a flight recently. These people know exactly what they are doing - they know they are scaring people when they do this & they know that the ACLU will jump to their defense & soon they will be able to do whatever they want on a flight or wherever. This is all very well thought out & you shouldn’t try to downplay it.

[Yaelle]

I don't know what the heck they're trying to push, but there was nothing "home-grown" about either of these two cases.

And the easier we make it for citizenship, the more "home grown" terrorism there will be. I wonder why we couldn't start profiling Muslims in line for citizenship. Am I still allowed to wonder that?

[ga medic]

I am not trying to down play it. I am just pointing out that there is no evidence these men were terrorists and plenty of evidence to the contrary. They were acting strangely and they were investigated. That is as it should be. If we make a big deal over every single incident, people will get tired of it and become complacent. That is when the real terrorists will strike. Vigilence is key to making the system work.

[fanfan]

Hopefully this “promoter” is being watched closely but that is probably too much to hope for.

This is from 2004. I wonder where he is now.

[happygrl]

Stunning.

Thanks for posting that!

[rdl6989]

This is a .pdf file of the DHS report on flight 327.
http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/files/DHS-IG-Northwest-327.pdf

[jazusamo]

Thanks for linking the file, I had looked at it earlier but at 51 pages put off reading it now.

[potlatch]

Thanks for the ping Dave.

[Grampa Dave]

Stunning and a slap in the face for all us who get frisked and padded down because of having an Anglo Saxon name that is on the no fly list with hundreds of thousands with the same name.

A slap in the face for people like my very pale, reddish blonde Anglo wife, who received incredible bs scrutiny after buying tickets after her mothers death and flying quickly after the reservations, (inspite of several planned flights back to her mothers the two years before).

We get searched, patted down, frisked and insulted while this Islamic POS walks away.

ACLU dares to defend the Islamofascist Amans who tried to pray on the plane and were told to get off last year.

We have an Anglo Saxon friend, who flies over 100,000 miles a year and is 6’6” and is married to an English born wife. They have been treated like criminals @JFK. Then this explosive tainted Islamic POS is allowed to walk away. He should have been thrown in a bomb disposal unit and treated like a bomb.

[CDHart]

"Those !@##$&@$$ fools in D.C. are playing with our lives."

Yes, they are. All governments play with peoples' lives in one way or another. That was what our Constitution was supposed to prevent, but it's a bit late now. See my tag line.

Carolyn

[Seadog Bytes]

“This is why I cheer each day when articles are posted about more layoffs in the MSM.”

...Like Katie Couric, perhaps...?

[Bryan24]

Did you read the report?

The FBI and the Air Marshal's Service only investigated AFTER Annie Jacobson wrote an article about it and it was publicized. Furthermore, the system is broken now. Read this excerpt.....

Presently, air marshals generally lack an effective means to communicate with the flight crew (redacted).... Further, key Departmental components were either not notified or not notified timely of the suspicious activities that occurred before and during the flight. In addition, both the FAMS and the FBI have statutory authority to investigate inflight incidents, thereby causing possible confusion, duplication, and the potential for compromising investigative cases.

IF that makes you feel safe, you're crazy.