US confirms air marshals' intervention on flight

[Spring Onion]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1777904,00050003.htm

US confirms air marshals' intervention on flight

A delegation from the United States Congress on Friday, confirmed that US air marshals had intervened on a NorthWest airlines flight in which, 12 Indians flying home were held on suspicions of planning a terrorist attack.

"From the briefings that we received from the Transportation security administration ... And from your (Dutch) officials as well ... The federal air marshals ...Did the right thing," Jerry Costello, a Democratic lawmaker from Illinois said in Amsterdam.


It was the first confirmation from either US or Dutch authorities that air marshals had been deployed on Wednesday, when a Northwest Airlines flight returned to Amsterdam shortly after taking off for Mumbai because of the "suspect" behaviour of 12 Indian passengers.

Costello, part of a 12-member Congressional delegation which wrapped up a visit to the Netherlands on Friday, focused on transport safety, said he had been briefed on Thursday by US and Dutch officials.

The head of the delegation, Tennessee lawmaker John Duncan, said the Indian passengers had been acting suspiciously.

"They felt that there were passengers on the plane that were acting in a suspicious way, they conferred with both the flight attendants and the captain and they decided to turn the plane around and bring it back to the airport," he said.
--------------------Huh they felt that the Indian passangers were acting suspiciously"" i dont understand when the ducks understand that whatever they feel might not be right.
Poor people scared by their own leaders for personal gains:read:

 

[RAPTOR]

’Dutch were racist’

[FONT=Verdana,Arial][SIZE=-2]8/26/2006 12:13:28 AM[/SIZE][/FONT]- By Chirag Madia, Arun George and Lakshmi B. Ghosh

Mumbai/New Delhi, Aug. 25: Dutch national A. Slotboom, a regular flier to India who was on board the Northwest Airlines Flight 42 when it was escorted back to Amsterdam by F-16 fighter jets on Wednesday, said the 12 detained Indians were treated "inhumanely". "I thought it was inhuman... They were treated like dogs," Mr A. Slotboom said on arriving in Mumbai on Friday. The detained passengers’ families felt the Dutch authorities’ action amounted to racist profiling.
He said the 12 Indians were humiliated by the police authorities when they landed in Amsterdam. "We just heard over the address system that the flight was being diverted to Amsterdam and did not know that anybody was to be detained. Once we landed there the police authorities seemed to treat the 12 persons very badly and handcuffed them and humiliated them in front of all the others. That should not have been done," said Mr Slotboom. He said their arrest seemed part of an "offensive against Arabic people... They did not hit them, but they pushed them. They let them surely feel that they have no power, that the people who arrested them had all the power." Mr Slotboom said he too was taken off the aircraft when he commented that the way the Indians were being treated reminded him of what the Germans had done under Hitler. "They came to me and said, ‘Okay, you come with us. You are not allowed to fly any more,’" he said.

In New Delhi, the ministry of external affairs (MEA), in a delayed response, said it has lodged a strong protest with the Dutch government over the detention of the 12 Indians, who have been freed. Hours after the 12 were released because the Dutch authorities could find no evidence against them, the Centre said it has asked for a detailed report from the Indian mission in the Netherlands. "We have taken strong notice of this development. It is not only unfortunate, it should have never happened," minister of state for external affairs Anand Sharma said. The Dutch government is believed to have expressed regret over the incident.

[A US Congressman on Friday confirmed that US air marshals had intervened on the Northwest Airlines flight from which 12 Indians were detained, AFP reports from Amsterdam. "From the briefings that we received from the transportation security administration ... And from your (Dutch) officials as well ... The federal air marshals ... did the right thing," Mr Jerry Costello, a Democrat from Illinois, told reporters in Amsterdam.]

The families of six of the detained persons, all of whom are residents of Memon Nagar in Jogeshwari, Mumbai, continue to await the arrival of those who were detained. Ms Sanobar Usman, the sister of Shakeel Chutani, who was one of the persons detained, said, "It is completely unfair that all of them were detained because they were playing games on their mobiles. Till now we do not know what they were doing, but currently it is easy for the police to arrest anyone who looks like a Muslim.

" She was very upset that the Indian government had not done enough on behalf of the 12 men. They should have at least been allowed one phone call, she said. "My mother Rashida has blood pressure problems and we are seven of us in the family. Shakeel is the eldest and had gone for a fair in the north of Spain," Ms Usman said.
Ms Usman added, "This was not the first time that all the people detained were travelling on an international flight. They have been going to various places, like South Africa, Port of Spain, and other parts of the world for the past 15 years. How could they arrest them just because they looked like Muslims?"

"We have not received a single call from the government of India or the police from Amsterdam. Our family members have been struggling for the past two days but no one is there to listen us. What news we got was from the newspapers and news channels. We want an apology from the government on this issue," said Ms Usman.
Ms Sabha Memon, wife of Mr Ayub Kolsawala (also detained and freed), said, "We are happy that Ayub is finally coming back... we have not slept for the past two days. We learnt from the news channels that 12 persons had been detained by the Amsterdam police on Wednesday. My husband, along with other friends, were on the same flight, but we never thought he would be one of the detained persons." Ms Memon added, "We were tense on Wednesday night as there was no contact between us and Ayub. But on Thursday night we were shocked to see the names of my husband and 11 other persons flashing on the news channels. We heaved a sigh of relief on Thursday night when we heard that all of them have received a clean chit from the Amsterdam police and will be flown back to India."

All those detained had been travelling in connection with their export business. Mr Imran Ahmed, brother-in-law of Mr Yusuf Memon, said, "It is completely ridiculous that all the person were detained just by looking at them and learning that they are Muslims. They were doing completely legal business. Is this the way to treat persons who promote trade for the country? Now the so-called tag of terrorist will remain with us for a lifetime."

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Actually, Chutani's sister will be satisfied if India declared war on Holland!

When there has been a scare of hijacking airliners to being serially bombed, it is stupid to play games on mobiles and scare people. One cannot use religion for stupidity. Religion is not for stupid people, but stupid people love to use religion when they are at fault!

Cattle class mentality just because they have money to buy an aircraft ticket! It is a great discomfort to travel with such boors and there is no dearth of them across all religious hue and this crass behaviour is displayed more by the people of the subcontinent!

One generation from the plough!

Even when I was travelling my an Army chartered civil airliner I was throughly checked. They would not let me even take my laptop! I could have been idiotic and taken umbrage since the Army was paying and so it was technically an Army aircraft! It was exasperating, but then with security being paramount, one has to take it in his own stride and anyway it was the rule, irrespective of anyone's rank.

I rather be safe than sorry.

My Uncle who went to Geneva and who has a 'Moslem cut' beard, promptly displayed his Citibank ID card around his neck at the airport! He said it worked. If the American company had hired him, then even if he was of the Islamic faith, he was a safe chap! His checking was pefunctory compared to other Asians. This he told me just today over the phone, when I asked him about all this profiling and harrassment people of Asia!

As far as the tag of terrorist hanging around one's neck, one can thank Osama and the ones who think they are doing a great service to their religion by acting loopy and planting bombs and killing people.

It is a Cross that we all have to bear being from the subcontinent, irrespective of religion, though I presume it gets worse if one is a person of the Islamic faith, so says Asim!

 

[Neo]

Why do we blame everyone but ourselves?
Safety rules on board of the flight are ment for passengers own saftey and the safety of crew ofcourse!

Basic rules are not new, we've been following them ever since the commercial air services took off.

If passenger disobey's crew's advice not to use lavatory during take off or when the 'fasten your seatbelts' sign is on, he or she's is risking flight safety regardless the nationality or appearance.

I think the NW42 crew did a great job!

Like Salim said: "Rather be safe than sorry"

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

More facts have emerged.

They were a group who were happy with their business deals and so wanted to celebrate and had bought mobiles for their relatives. Must be real fancy ones. I reckon they were getting to see all the gizmo effects of their mobiles. Thus, this raised some concern with the airline staff.

Thereafter, they started moving up and down searching for empty seats so that they could lie down and go to sleep.

The cabin crew naturally got alarmed, first their fooling around with the mobiles and then walking up and down as if to find positions to stand and then hold the passengers as hostages.

A massive snafu caused by serious concerns about aircraft safety!

 

[RAPTOR]

Today...If you are brown/Dark skinned with a beard and a turban...trying to board a plane.....then you are SCREWED!

Imagine what a Seeeekh might go through everyday.

That being said...i think its important to obey the rules and follow protocol.

 

[RAPTOR]

Racial Profiling: Have you been singled out in airports?

After being detained on board a Northwest Airlines flight to Mumbai, the 12 Indians were finally released on Thursday. Dutch authorities held them for questioning for about 24-hours after they reportedly exhibited what was termed 'suspicious behaviour' on board the flight. This includes exchanging laptops and cellphones and refusing to wear their seat belts and follow crew instructions.

The men were released without any terrorism charges. Their mobile phones and laptops were found not to contain any explosives. It still remains unclear whether the crew was responding to a serious terrorist incident or it was just a misunderstanding, where you had unsophisticated people flying!

However this is not an isolated incident. Two British citizens of Asian appearance were forced off a Manchester-bound flight after fellow passengers did not allow the jet to take off from the Spanish town of Malaga until the duo, whom they feared to be terrorists, were disembarked.

If you’re dark skinned, swarthy and bearded, are being given a twice over at international airports or frisked twice. The detention of 12 passengers of Indian origin at Amsterdam has raised concerns of racial profiling, something which had raised its ugly head in the post 9/11 days. True, there’s the serious issue of terrorism and everybody wants to have a safe flight. But in the process, are ethnic groups being stereotyped? If you’ve flown in recent weeks and have felt uncomfortable because of the looks you got or were singled out for `special’ treatment or know of instances of this kind, please share these and your views.

http://o3.indiatimes.com/mytimes/archive/2006/08/25/1376553.aspx

 

[RAPTOR]

Some of the posters have some interesting and sensible comments actually.




Posted by Devraj @ 8/27/2006 6:30 AM javascript:__doPostBack('Comments.ascx$CommentList$_ctl17$EditLink','')
<LI class=morelistitemalter># re: Racial Profiling: Have you been singled out in airports?
Why Indian Govt. did not charge and punish these uncivilized muslims after they returned ? Because they are responsible for causing lot of other people into trouble. They may do it once again just to make fun. Govt. should seize their passports and put them into jail to correct their behaviour and make them civilized.

Posted by Country_Road @ 8/27/2006 6:00 AM javascript:__doPostBack('Comments.ascx$CommentList$_ctl18$EditLink','')<LI class=morelistitem># re: Racial Profiling: Have you been singled out in airports?
NEVER.
Unfortunately this all started because of some group of evil people who cause terrorism. People want safe travel. People are afraid. This will keep on happening until people change.

DO PARTTEN KE BEECH SAABEET BACHA NA KOI

KABIRJI

Posted by MR. WHY? WISDOM THINKING @ 8/27/2006 4:54 AM javascript:__doPostBack('Comments.ascx$CommentList$_ctl19$EditLink','')<LI class=morelistitemalter># re: Racial Profiling: Have you been singled out in airports?
You wanna know why they hate us? it's cause we act so miserably we are ghettoed into the last boarding gate where noone can see us! I COMPLETELY AGREE with the last comment WHY can't we just dress well, be it the ladies whose hair is flying al over or be it the men without deoderant.



Posted by Nikhil Arora @ 8/27/2006 4:42 AM javascript:__doPostBack('Comments.ascx$CommentList$_ctl20$EditLink','')<LI class=morelistitem># re: Racial Profiling: Have you been singled out in airports?
I just looked at the picture of one of the 12 who were detained. If you are on international business, act and dress like businessman. Long Beard, skull cap, sherwani, shalwar kameez, nice going, thats a business attire to look for. People do biz with who they feel comfortable with. I won't do business with anyone who is wearing shalwar kameez,Paan or Gutka stained teeth. If you want to assert your religion with your attire go do biz with your colony or muhallah folks.

Posted by Rajvir @ 8/27/2006 3:06 AM javascript:__doPostBack('Comments.ascx$CommentList$_ctl21$EditLink','')<LI class=morelistitemalter># re: Racial Profiling: Have you been singled out in airports?
This is another offshoot of the false flag operation called 9/11. Let me hit at the root of this problem. This hatredness towards asians shot up after the 9/11 which was publicized as an act carried out by asians (middleeast asia in particular).
But do we really know the truth of 9/11?
Did we really go by proofs, facts and logical reasoning OR did we buy whatever stories these very racist whites sold us through their biased media operating under the command of certain lobbies?

It was not long back that a racist white people divided us in the name of religion at provincial level and ruled us. Now the same thing is repeating. The only difference being that the playground is much bigger this time. The whole of Asia and Africa (non-white continents) is the target. And just as each small province then had helped the East India company to fight its neigbouring province in return for trade favors(which however were shortlived) from the invaders, we as nations today are supporting these same war mongers to fight and destroy one asian country after another. It is just a matter of time that we realize it is too late when we fall a target to their evil designs. Our policies are already being affected to a much greater extent by foriegn influence. Be it cola companies exerting pressure from their parent countries OR the corrupting foriegn TV channels and movies that drive the youth away from progressive and nation building activites towards vain and useless acts of wasting time before TVs in the name of amusement and fun OR affecting our national policies by hanging a carrot of weapons deal before us as well as our neighbouring countries etc.

In order to curb the evil plans of racist and power hungry people it is most important to know the truth and spread the awareness among all others. To come out of the lies showered on us and to know the truth behind all this international drama spend the next 10 minutes in knowing the facts that were hidden from us and the reasoning that never crossed our minds.

guardian.150m.com/september-eleven/hijackers-alive.htm

guardian.150m.com/wtc/small/how-hot.htm

guardian.150m.com/wtc/small/proof.htm

guardian.150m.com/wtc/premature-detonations.htm

So when it was not the Asians who carried out the 9/11 why all this suspicion and drama and ill treatment? ( I guess, just to justify the new colonization they are carrying out across asia and we fools believe all that they have to say)

Posted by lie buster @ 8/27/2006 1:41 AM javascript:__doPostBack('Comments.ascx$CommentList$_ctl22$EditLink','')<LI class=morelistitem># re: Racial Profiling: Have you been singled out in airports?
What every first time flier needs to know:

1. You appearance matters - you look and dress ugly and you are going to be pulled over so wash you face and do your hair and put some cologne when you disembark

2. DONT bring huge suitcases into the plane and try to pass it off as carry-on luggage. Stop being so damn cheap. Pay a little extra or dont pack your food in the flight like its a picnic to some lake.

3. Please - for heavens sake! Dont be loud and obnoxious.

4. Just because the whiskey is free, dont be a cheap-*** and get drunk and red-eyed and then be rude to the airhostess.

5. Disciple your goddamn kids. noone wants to hear his melodious voice all flight long.

Stick to these 5 rules and you wont be profiled or be ignored or treated like 2nd class citizens.

LEARN TO FLY.

Posted by Vickram Bhatt @ 8/27/2006 1:22 AM javascript:__doPostBack('Comments.ascx$CommentList$_ctl23$EditLink','')

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Personal opinions.

Racial profiling is wrong.

If they have to do so for security, then they should. But they should not be blatantly racial when doing a check or an arrest. Politeness should be the key.

It is also correct that one should dress and behave soberly.

However, the Americans are the one who have introduced laxity in the dressing and manners. Imagine eating dinner with just a fork and that too in half pants or jeans!

And the British have started aping them. Blair leads.

The loudest in any public place are either the Americans or the newly rich and crude of the sub continent! As if money buys class!

 

[RAPTOR]

Actually, i know someone who's travel agent accidently bought her the cheapest airfare tickets from Boston to London. She was given a first class seat on an (gasp) air india airline. She tried to change her ticket but wasnt sucessful. Well...she was nervous and scared and had visions of fil.thy negroid people with a stench and horrible and disgusting conditions.

Well...when she boarded the plane, it was one of the new 777s....the folks were all well behaved, the service she said was friendly...and the brown skinned folks were all westernised ,clean and well mannered. She was pleasantly surprised and said she wouldnt mind travelling on that airline again...as it was the cheapest with the best service. I guess it goes to show that there are all types.

So the moral of the story is...dont judge a book by its cover.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

She was given a first class seat on an (gasp) air india airline. She tried to change her ticket but wasnt sucessful. Well...she was nervous and scared and had visions of fil.thy negroid people with a stench and horrible and disgusting conditions.

Why was she a progency of Alexander and not taken back because she was illegitimate?

I am sure you are not suggesting that all are illegitimate progencies of the Huns, Alexander and other marauders who came the way what is today called Pakistan.

I am sure that would be totally incorrect.

Note: I am still being civil.

 

[Neo]

Okay, playtime is over.
Now cut the personal crap, both of you!

Thanks!

Neo

 

[Neo]

Thread is locked!

Continued personal attacks in other threads will result in a ban!
Make up your mind!