ITALIAN REPORTS SUSPICIOUS PLANE OVER ROME BEING ESCORTED TO LAND (Update: No bomb found)

Fox News | April 8, 2005

[CitizenM]

Reporting now on FOX. Italian sources are suspecting a bomb on board. Story coming in fast.

[Who dat?]

I’m guessing that it’s a small plane? My uncle had a Cessna 150 (?) and I recall that it chugged along at 90 or 95 knots.

Is it actually possible to “escort” something like that with an F-16?

[thierrya]

LEARJET 131 INTERCEPTED

[Rokurota]

The World would be after Al Qaeda until there was no more of it.

I have to say I seriously doubt it.

[Miss Marple]

No bomb doesn't mean no explosives.

[mombonn]

I'm glad our President is very far away from there by now, but I have a friend who arrived in Rome last Friday for a long-planned tour of art museums.

I'll be very glad when she arrives home safely - this is driving me nuts! She is due in tomorrow night. Can't imagine how messed up air traffic is going to be.

[dfwgator]

I'm convinced AQ is recruiting blue-eyed Bosnians. Since they don't look Arabic, they won't raise nearly as much suspicion. I predict the next big terrorist act will be done by Bosnians for precisely that reason.

[theFIRMbss]

>anti-aircraft missiles, part of the Italian defence system, are displayed near Rome for the funeral of the Pope

Would any modern
politician have the will
to fire on a plane?!

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

It's Jimmy!

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

If this plane were on a bona fide suicide mission, I don't think the F-16s would have stopped it short of shooting it down. Somebody screwed up good, but I doubt it was terrorists on board.

[SlowBoat407]

Well, if there is something hostile going on here, the whole world will certainly take up some action against terrorism.

Which is exactly what the hard-core jihadi want -- a war in which the West descends on Islam so they can religiously justify an all-out, no-holds-barred military posture including non-conventional weapons. Which is why I applauded Bush's initial response after 9/11 of specifically NOT attacking Islam, but going after the individuals who sponsored the act, and then going after despots who were already waging war on fellow Muslims. So far, they've had no cause to claim that we are at war with Islam, so their Imams cannot issue a blanket call to Jihad in defense of the faith.

[MindBender26]

What's the A/C? A Grumman Mohawk?

[CitizenM]

Some fat-cat in a Lear. Hmmm, or a French jet, German....haven't heard what type, only "executive plane"

Oh wait...now hearing a 131 Lear jet! Hmmm

[KJC1]

From Fox: Belgrade was the originating city.

[gopwinsin04]

Castro is helping Jimmuh!

[CitizenM]

I am breathing a little sigh of relief. Sounds like a mechanical problem?

[Robe]

Lear 55-131

[KansasConservative1]

Ping to the top

[Strategerist]

No bomb aboard the plane, just reported by MSNBC.

Shocking. Nice hype job by Fox yet again though.

[CitizenM]

If it was innocent, I bet that pilot was shaking in his seat (to put it politely) when the Italian jets were at his side.