This is a very chilling story, if true. (Anyone can write anything on the Internet, remember, but I can’t think of a reason why the people at this particular web site would want to cause a hoax scare.)) Still, a writer at WomensWallStreet.com relates her personal experience from the end of June on a cross-country flight. She talks about how 14 Middle Eastern men, who boarded in several separate groups, engaged in very suspicious behavior. Long story short, it appeared they were making a dry run for a plan to assemble a bomb in flight, something which the FBI has issued an alert about.
This wasn’t just one person being jumpy. The flight crew was also very concerned, and even told the woman confidentially that air marshals were on board. And when they landed, the plane was greeted by a phalanx of law enforcement who took the men away for questioning and the woman and the rest of the passengers were asked to give detailed statements to the FBI.
However, the woman also did some research of her own and found that official Transportation Security Administration policies to prevent profiling would have prevented TSA officials from more closely screening the men before boarding, even if they had strong suspicions. She was told that they can’t act unless the suspects acted first. In which case, by that time it would probably be too late. Read the whole thing and feel the shivers run up and down your spine.
That was one of the scariest things I’ve read. I was a firm believer that after 9/11, terrorists wouldn’t be able to use planes as weapons ever again. It made my frequent travel schedule easier to deal with. I guess my comfort now will be the fact that at least I’ll be flying with my rosary in hand.