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Osama bin Laden has approximately 53 half-siblings. Last week, ABC reported that 12 of them have FAA pilot’s licenses, making them “eligible to fly aircraft anywhere in the United States.” While this is indeed an eye-opener of a headline, Osama bin Laden’s high-profile siblings and the FAA are a small concern compared to the threat posed by thousands of would-be foreign pilots routinely granted pilot licenses by the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA). Last year, in my Pajamas Media article “Flight School Fiasco: No Lessons Learned After 9/11,” I wrote that the TSA, not the FAA, has the final say on...

“Planned and choreographed” incident similar to USAir Flight 300 Security incident aboard AirTran Flight 297 suggests terror “Dry Run”On November 17, an incident took place aboard AirTran Flight 297 scheduled to fly from Atlanta Hartsfield Airport to Houston that the media does not want to cover and everyone from the airline to the TSA and other government agencies want to keep very quiet. The reasons, I have been told, is fear of predatory lawsuits, negative publicity from accusations of religious profiling, and the obligatory subjugation to mindless mandatory Muslim sensitivity training that make a mockery of our American system of...

Five crop-duster planes have crashed on the terror-plagued island of Mindanao in a short period of time. Annie Jacobsen says that while it may feel like Mindanao is half a world away, the island’s plantations are linked to the international food supply chain. Is it time to start worrying about what’s being sprayed on your bananas? Support Pajamas Media; Visit Our Advertisers by Annie Jacobsen There have been five crop-duster plane crashes on the terrorist-plagued island of Mindanao in the Philippines in a 90-day period. The most recent incident happened on December 6. Three of the five crashes occurred on...

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...

The Mysterious Case of Missing Saudi Student On October 15, 2006, a young Saudi Arabian male named Anwar Al——,* (His full name will not be used for legal reasons) claiming to be an engineering student at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, presented what must have been false documents to United States Customs and Immigration at an east coast airport and managed to slip into the country illegally. This is something that is not easily done: for a citizen of Saudi Arabia to get into the United States to attend an institution of higher learning requires the scrutiny of...

...we are awash in government studies, reports and other data which make clear that nearly six years after September 11, the government bureaucracies that are supposed to keep out terrorists are in many ways as incompetent and dysfunctional as they were before... A newly released report from the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about the government's handling of 13 suspicious passengers on a June 29, 2004, Northwest Airlines flight serves as a reminder of why so many Americans are rightly skeptical of Washington's ability to manage a mass-amnesty program... The report, which details what happened on...

Report confirms terror dry run By Audrey Hudson THE WASHINGTON TIMES Published May 30, 2007 Download the inspector general report (PDF) A newly released inspector general report backs eyewitness accounts of suspicious behavior by 13 Middle Eastern men on a Northwest Airlines flight in 2004 and reveals several missteps by government officials, including failure to file an incident report until a month after the matter became public. According to the Homeland Security report, the "suspicious passengers," 12 Syrians and their Lebanese-born promoter, were traveling on Flight 327 from Detroit to Los Angeles on expired visas. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services...

The following is an email I received detailing a “serious probe” on board American Airlines flight 62 traveling from Paris to Miami. The information comes to me second-hand — from a trusted source in the field. American Airlines spokesman John Hotard confirmed the incident on flight 62 with me, stating “there was a disturbance on board, it was handled by crew.” I asked Mr. Hotard the status of the men who were detained by FBI. Hotard told me “for security reasons, I can’t comment further.” Here it is, unedited: “This is not meant to scare, but it probably will. Consider...

November 28, 2006, 7:15 a.m. Sword on BoardAirport security’s problems with accountability. By Annie Jacobsen Earlier this year, a passenger at the Dallas-Forth Worth airport got a four-foot sword on an American Airlines airplane. How in the world did a sword that size manage to get through airport security? Who knows, but it did, and there it was for a plane full of Los Angeles-bound passengers to see. A federal incident report recounts the story, and additional details about the sword came to me from Steve Elson, a former FAA Red Team member who, at the government’s behest, used...

The recent terror attempt in Britian reminded me of Annie Jacobsen's account about flight 327 on Northwest Airlines that she believes was a "dry run" for terrorists. So one asks, how much of this has been going on? What other plots are in motion? Is it time to keep all foreigners off planes or subject to extreme scrutiny?

A secret federal investigation has been launched into alarming events on a now-infamous domestic flight last June when a group of passengers claimed that some Syrians were conducting a dry run for a terror attack or hijacking. Annie Jacobsen, who first came forward with details of disturbing behaviour by the 14 Syrians on Northwest Flight 327, from Detroit to Los Angeles, has been interviewed about events on the flight by four officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). They flew from Chicago to Los Angeles to talk to her, she said last week, even though she was three days...

The call came a little over a month ago, on my cellular phone -- which is not listed. It went like this: "Hello Annie, this is [name withheld, and name withheld, and name withheld and name withheld]. We're from the Department of Homeland Security." "Yes." "We'd like to set up a time to talk with you." "Okay, now is good." "Actually, we'd prefer to come to your house. How is March 15?" "Not so great. That's three days before I'm due to have a baby…" They came anyway. To my house in Los Angeles. By plane from Chicago. Look Who's...

Since I first starting writing on the subject of airline security (Terror in the Skies) I have received volumes of email on related subjects. Among my correspondence, there are certain incidents that stand out, including the one you'll read about today. It stands out not just because of the incident itself, but because the lack of media coverage as well as the "official" spin on the part of the airline and security personnel in its aftermath, much like my experience, defies belief. But I'm getting ahead of myself… A few days ago, I received an interesting email from Barry Johnson,...

Source Annie Jacobsen Gets a Visit from the Feds This is Part XIII of the ongoing series entitled "Terror in the Skies". By Annie Jacobsen 4/22/2005 The call came a little over a month ago, on my cellular phone -- which is not listed. It went like this: "Hello Annie, this is [name withheld, and name withheld, and name withheld and name withheld]. We're from the Department of Homeland Security." "Yes." "We'd like to set up a time to talk with you." "Okay, now is good." "Actually, we'd prefer to come to your house. How is March 15?" "Not so...

... Then, just minutes before the aircraft doors were set to close, ground agents hurried down the jet way with a group of late arrivals. advertisement According to the ground agents, the nine men had arrived independently on separate itineraries from various Middle Eastern countries. The flight crew was told that one man came from Lahore, Pakistan, another from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, another from Afghanistan. Several of the men had no carry-ons, which one of the flight attendants found unusual. Most passengers embarking on a long, international flight carry at least something with them. The flight attendant took the...

This is Part V of the ongoing series entitled “Terror in the Skies, Again?” A few days ago, WomensWallStreet.com received an important email. It was from Billie Jo Rodriguez, another passenger who was on Northwest Airlines flight 327 from Detroit to Los Angeles on June 29. Billie Jo is a Certified Public Accountant living in Oxnard, California. She had some additional, disturbing information about flight 327 that she felt someone needed to know. She had been so terrified by what happened on the flight that she sent two emails to the Department of Homeland Security telling them about the experience,...

The 14 Syrians on Northwest Airlines flight 327...To the dismay of many, it's the story that won't go away. The fact that a group of Syrian men acted in a way that terrified some passengers and caused a squad of federal officials to be called out to meet the plane upon landing is of interest to anyone who flies the friendly skies. And that is why this story won't just go away. The 14 Syrians on Northwest Airlines flight 327...To the dismay of many, it's the story that won't go away. The fact that a group of Syrian men acted...

No one yet has the full story on the infamous June 29 Northwest Airlines Flight #327 from Detroit to Los Angeles, on which thirteen Syrian musicians acted so suspiciously that passenger and WomensWallStreet.com writer Annie Jacobsen feared she was about to be killed by terrorists. The identity of the band remained unknown for a while until I identified them as the backup band for Canaanite crooner Nour Mehana, whom I dubbed the "Syrian Wayne Newton." Regardless of the behavior of Nour Mehana's band, Ms. Jacobsen's story has focused international attention on the very serious issue of terrorists sizing up our...

For much of the past month a fight has been raging in news reports and over the Internet about the behavior of 14 male Middle Eastern passengers on Northwest Airlines Flight 327 from Detroit to Los Angeles. Were the men terrorists casing the plane for a possible attack, as freelance journalist Annie Jacobsen suspected in a long article about the incident? Or were they, as the men said and federal investigators later concluded, a Syrian band on their way to a gig? Until now, news accounts have only featured government spokesmen or airline personnel who were not actually on the...

Rashomon in the Skies: The Tangled Tale of Flight 327 By Clinton W. Taylor Published 8/5/2004 12:09:20 AM No one yet has the full story on the infamous June 29 Northwest Airlines Flight #327 from Detroit to Los Angeles, on which thirteen Syrian musicians acted so suspiciously that passenger and WomensWallStreet.com writer Annie Jacobsen feared she was about to be killed by terrorists. The identity of the band remained unknown for a while until I identified them as the backup band for Canaanite crooner Nour Mehana, whom I dubbed the "Syrian Wayne Newton." Regardless of the behavior of Nour Mehana's...

WASHINGTON (AP) — A writer's harrowing account of the odd actions of 14 Middle Eastern men aboard a Detroit-to-Los Angeles flight in June is prompting new concerns about airline security. The men traveling together on the Northwest flight lingered in the bathroom, congregated in the aisles and signaled each other during the trip, according to the account. Passengers and the crew feared the men planned a hijacking, said the writer, Annie Jacobsen. When Flight 327 landed on June 29, the men were met by agents of the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Transportation Security Administration. Government officials...

It's been two-and-a-half weeks since the first "Terror in the Skies, Again?" article was posted on WomensWallStreet.com and subsequently set off an international debate.  From the cockpit to the coffee shop, from the water coolers to the halls of Congress, countless numbers of people have been talking -- and shouting -- about this article.  It seems that anyone who reads the article develops a strong opinion, which in turn creates more questions.  Flight #327 has opened Pandora's box.Last week, when the name of the band was revealed (Syrian singer Nour Mehana) one side shouted: See, we told you so!  Then,...

The Washington Times www.washingtontimes.com Ignoring security threatsPublished July 29, 2004 The Homeland Security Department reversed itself yesterday, announcing that all 14 Syrian musicians who exhibited bizarre, menacing behavior on a flight from Detroit to Los Angeles last month were legally in the United States after all. DHS blames the confusion about the visa status on Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees.     The flip-flop by DHS is just the latest odd twist in a story that raises troubling questions about the ability of our immigration authorities and airline security apparatus to keep potentially dangerous people off passenger planes.     Let's review what...

Claim: Reporter encounters terrorists on airline flight who are making a dry run at assembling a bomb on-board. Status: False.

Terror in the Skies, Again? By Annie Jacobsen A WWS Exclusive Article Note from the E-ditors: You are about to read an account of what happened during a domestic flight that one of our writers, Annie Jacobsen, took from Detroit to Los Angeles. The WWS Editorial Team debated long and hard about how to handle this information and ultimately we decided it was something that should be shared. What does it have to do with finances? Nothing, and everything. Here is Annie's story. On June 29, 2004, at 12:28 p.m., I flew on Northwest Airlines flight #327 from Detroit to...

Last week NewsMax linked for several days to journalist Annie Jacobsen's widely reported eyewitness account of suspicious behavior by Arab men on a flight from the Muslim haven of Detroit to L.A. But her report is just the beginning. "Flight crews and air marshals say Middle Eastern men are staking out airports, probing security measures and conducting test runs aboard airplanes for a terrorist attack," the Washington Times revealed today. Story Continues Below The article singles out the flight Jacobsen took on June 29, Northwest Airlines Flight 327, as well as American Airlines Flight 1732 from San Juan, Puerto Rico,...

...So here's my question: Since the FBI issued a warning to the airline industry to be wary of groups of five men on a plane who might be trying to build bombs in the bathroom, shouldn't a group of 14 Middle Eastern men be screened before boarding a flight? Apparently not. Due to our rules against discrimination, it can't be done. During the 9/11 hearings last April, 9/11 Commissioner John Lehman stated that "...it was the policy (before 9/11) and I believe remains the policy today to fine airlines if they have more than two young Arab males in secondary...

Terrorists testing jets, crews sayBy Audrey HudsonTHE WASHINGTON TIMES Flight crews and air marshals say Middle Eastern men are staking out airports, probing security measures and conducting test runs aboard airplanes for a terrorist attack.     At least two midflight incidents have involved numerous men of Middle Eastern descent behaving in what one pilot called "stereotypical" behavior of an organized attempt to attack a plane. ---Snip--- A June 29 incident aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 327 from Detroit to Los Angeles is similar to a Feb. 15 incident on American Airlines Flight 1732 from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to New York's John...

Terror in the Skies, Again? By Annie Jacobsen A WWS Exclusive Article Note from the E-ditors: You are about to read an account of what happened during a domestic flight that one of our writers, Annie Jacobsen, took from Detroit to Los Angeles. The WWS Editorial Team debated long and hard about how to handle this information and ultimately we decided it was something that should be shared. What does it have to do with finances? Nothing, and everything. Here is Annie's story. On June 29, 2004, at 12:28 p.m., I flew on Northwest Airlines flight #327 from Detroit to...

The Department of Homeland Security issues terror warnings with such regularity that many believe them to be almost counterproductive. Many theorize some have gone soft in watching for signs that terrorists are among us, scouting for new locations to kill Americans, or practicing “dry runs” on American flights for future terrorist actions. That cannot be said for “Womens Wall Street” writer Annie Jacobsen. In an article published earlier this month Ms. Jacobsen describes in detail a harrowing flight that she and her family experienced on June 29 of this year. They were all on Northwest flight #327 from Detroit to...

Last Tuesday morning, WomensWallStreet.com (WWS) published my first-person account of a recent Northwest Airlines flight that I took from Detroit to Los Angeles called Terror in the Skies, Again? A heads up about this article went out in our Daily Cents email -- our subscriber newsletter which primarily features financial tips and information for women. On Wednesday morning, the WWS page views were unusually high, something like 10 times the normal amount. Apparently our readers had been emailing the article to their friends, family and colleagues and everyone was reading it. By Thursday morning, that number had again multiplied ten-fold....

A WWS Exclusive Article Note from the Editors: You are about to read an account of what happened during a domestic flight that one of our writers, Annie Jacobsen, took from Detroit to Los Angeles. The WWS Editorial Team debated long and hard about how to handle this information and ultimately we decided it was something that should be shared. What does it have to do with finances? Nothing, and everything. Here is Annie's story. On June 29, 2004, at 12:28 p.m., I flew on Northwest Airlines flight #327 from Detroit to Los Angeles with my husband and our young...

TERROR IN THE SKIES (CONTINUED) By Michelle Malkin   ·   July 16, 2004 09:41 AM Regarding Annie Jacobsen's intriguing article, I just got word from Dave Adams of the Federal Air Marshals Service (FAM). Adams confirmed that he spoke to Annie Jacobsen, was quoted accurately in her story, and confirmed some of the basic facts outlined in her article (there were 14 Syrians on the flight; they were questioned by the Los Angeles Police Department, FBI, FAM, and so on; they were a musical band). Update: I agree with many readers that some skepticism is still warranted, especially if this is...

Terror in the Skies, Again? By Annie Jacobsen A WWS Exclusive Article Note from the E-ditors: You are about to read an account of what happened during a domestic flight that one of our writers, Annie Jacobsen, took from Detroit to Los Angeles. The WWS Editorial Team debated long and hard about how to handle this information and ultimately we decided it was something that should be shared. What does it have to do with finances? Nothing, and everything. Here is Annie's story. On June 29, 2004, at 12:28 p.m., I flew on Northwest Airlines flight #327 from Detroit to...

On June 29, 2004, at 12:28 p.m., I flew on Northwest Airlines flight #327 from Detroit to Los Angeles with my husband and our young son. Also on our flight were 14 Middle Eastern men between the ages of approximately 20 and 50 years old. What I experienced during that flight has caused me to question whether the United States of America can realistically uphold the civil liberties of every individual, even non-citizens, and protect its citizens from terrorist threats. On that Tuesday, our journey began uneventfully. Starting out that morning in Providence, Rhode Island, we went through security screening,...