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Shoe Bomber II

By John Batchelor on December 26, 2009 at 3:45 PM in Current Affairs

Richard Reid Returns From Doom.  
From below:
    ”Detroit terror suspect steps all over the healthcare story and wrecks the Obama Hawaii retreat.
    ”Because there are so few stories, the attack on the Pope and the Detroit terror (and now Charlie Sheen busted in Aspen) will grow and grow.”

Major news spin alert for the Obama administration on Christmas Day. Watching for the Homeland Security Team to do full pressers on Saturday 26, and for HomeSec Napolitano to get in front of the camera and repeat how the investiagtion is ongoing.

The facts are scrambled and generally useless at this point.

A man. Perhaps Nigerian, perhaps anything. Inbound to USA on Delta/Northwest Flight 253, an Airbus 330 with reported 278 passengers.

detroit.jpgWhy the first reports of firecrackers? Anecdotes from other passengers to say that the suspect was tackled. Just like Richard Reid, the Shoe Bomber of 2001.

The Obama team now faced with walking backward the man’s route, what airports and when, who passed him through, how he was connected to an inbound USA flight? Already there is word of increased airport security immediately, suggesting additional copy-cat attacks.

You will recall that Richard Reid was sentenced to life in prison in March 2003, and that he swore eternal allegiance to Bin Laden at the time.

Where does Mr. Delta Detroit go now? Not GITMO South. Not GITMO North. Federal detention in Detroit forever? We need lots of information.

I will be speaking much of this incident on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 with my professionals. [See the end of this post for details on the programming, including regular experts panelist, NoQuarter's Larry Johnson.]

Everything about the suspect, said to be 23 year-old Nigerian Abdul Mudallad, (or Abdulmutallab) is critical to determine, confirm and walk backwards. Especially the explosives, especially what the suspect says in the first interrogations.

So far from frightening the suspect, it is useful to make him comfortable forever. What he knows is real time useful intelligence.

Bill Roggio, Long War Journal, told me Wednesday 23 that the Predators and Reapers have been active in North Waziritstan since last summer because of a general sense that Al Q was on a major op prep. A Christmas Day strike on Delta inbound would have been major.

Unlucky POTUS.  

reid.jpg

Detroit terror suspect steps all over the healthcare story and wrecks the Obama Hawaii retreat.

Because there are so few stories, the attack on the Pope and the Detroit terror (and now Charlie Sheen busted in Aspen) will grow and grow. The terror story trumps all others because all the vacationers must now fly home through brutal security.

TSA (“Thousands Standing Around” is what Jeff Bliss reminds it is called) will now conduct a major exercise in reality airport security.

With POTUS out of the White House, can White House Oahu handle the requests? Can Janet Napolitano handle the press demands in DC?

Consider the scale of what we don’t know, and that the Sunday morning shows may now toss aside healthcare and go with wall to wall Shoe Bomber II.

POTUS is unlucky. Does this help or hurt the polling on national security.

The guy was nabbed by what looks like luck, a repeat of the Millennium Bomber grab in 1999. The FBI is now saying the suspect suffered severe burns on his leg, not life-threatening. Get him a lawyer, start the interrogation with flattery and watch him chat. Lots of heroes, lots to learn:

‘Flight passenger Syed Jafry, a U.S. citizen who had flown from the United Arab Emirates, said he was seated three rows behind when he saw a glow and smelled smoke. He said, “A young man behind me jumped on him (the suspect).”‘

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

batchelor-sON SUNDAY NIGHT (12/27/09): Tune in to John Batchelor’s syndicated radio show when NoQuarter’s Larry Johnson joins the weekly experts’ panel.

The syndicated shows run every week and weekend on many stations and via iTunes. In iTunes, follow these exact steps:

(1) select Radio;

(2) scroll to and select News Talk Radio, and

(3) scroll to and select KSFO-AM.

  • creeper

    This is infuriating.

    A couple of weeks ago I took my son to the airport to catch a flight.  It’s been a couple of years since I watched someone clear security, so I was baffled when ‘Rome stopped at a bank of chairs just outside the security area and took off his shoes.  When he removed the first one I thought “He must have a rock in his shoe.”  Then he stepped out of the second one, picked them up and started off. 

    “What are you doing?!?” I asked.  “You can get comfortable when you get on the airplane.  Put your shoes back on.  This is embarrassing.”

    “Mom,” he replied patiently, “this is what you have to do to clear security.  Look around you.”  I did, and realized that all but the most inexperienced travelers had already shed their shoes and were padding stockingfoot through security.

    I was stunned.  I worked in the airline business for almost twenty years as a reservations agent/supervisor, flew all over the world and had never seen anything like it.  Here were dozens of people removing shoes and coats and opening purses, briefcases and even magazines so that they could be searched like someone being booked into the county jail.  They reminded me of nothing more than a herd of sheep slowly passing through the gate.

    I was both amazed and saddened but I tried to pass it off as necessary for “security”.  Yesterday’s events make it clear to me that security regulations aren’t about security at all.  They’re about conditioning people to accept authority without question.  We are not one whit safer than we were on September 11, 2001.  We’re just well-trained to accept the dictates of “authority” without question.

    Barring a dire emergency I will never board an airplane again.  The risk wouldn’t bother me.  I just couldn’t stomach the degradation.

  • Animal Control

     ”Yesterday’s events make it clear to me that security regulations aren’t about security at all. They’re about conditioning people to accept authority without question. We are not one whit safer than we were on September 11, 2001. We’re just well-trained to accept the dictates of “authority” without question.”

    Oh, how I wish I didn’t agree with you.
    So well stated.

  • Doc99
  • d2i

    Just read the Complaint. It stated that this creep went to the bathroom and stayed in there for 20 minutes. When he returned to his seat he complained of stomach ache and pulled a blanket over his lap. Apparently, he used a syringe with a high explosive called PENT (???) which a passenger saw was smoking who then ripped it from his hand and threw it on the floor of the airplane. The FBI has since recovered remnants of the syringe. As well, the Complaint stated passengers after being interviewed stated they first heard a firecracking sound befor seeing fire or smoke.

    I want to know why Obama was not alerted of this terrorist attack for three hours? Three hours passed before he was alerted? C’mon. What is up with that? Where was he? Why wasn’t he informed right away? What’s up with this and why isn’t anyone asking the question? I want to know why the POTUS was to busy to be disturbed for three solid hours?

  • Obama

    and all of his drones claimed this would all stop if we just elected Obama and he would apologize for the US being such a mean country.  How has all of that baloney worked?  Not so well.  How is it working with Iran?  Looks like Iran is thumbing their nose right in the messiah’s face.  Is Obama still trying to hang all of this on Bush or can the punk ever take any responsibility? 

    The experiment of plucking a rat out of the south side of Chicago just to make some drones feel good should be over, but we still have 3 more years of this insanity.  All the drones can do is blame Bush and play the race and political correctness cards.  Those are old chestnuts you brain-dead drones keep pulling out.   

  • When the man

    wants to shoot some hoops he is not to be disturbed. 

  • Guest

    The terrorists come out on top again. New Homeland Security knee jerk directives keep passangers in their seats and without any items in their laps, including laptops and pillows, for the last 60-90 minutes of the flight. Talk about dehumanizing. The terrorist scumbag was in his seat an hour before landing.

    So Insensitive. Maybe we should ask why they would be worried about this in the first place since they are supposed to make sure these people and objects aren’t on the flight in the first place. The fact that the person who wants to blow up the plane can’t get to their carry on will not doubt only be a minor hurdle to blowing up the plane if it is only 2 ft above their head.

    The only upside being not enough passengers willing to put up with the hassles of flying means a steep drop in ticket prices.

    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6787740.html

  • d2i

    Another detail found at the link below is this cretan was sitting in 19A, I’m assuming this to be the economy seating. However, wouldn’t this seat be over the right wing of the Airbus a330? Would his seat by chance have been located where the emergency exit doors on the plane are located? I tried to find  a decent seating chart but failed in my endeavor.

  • d2i
  • d2i

    I fear you may be right. I am coming to believe that b-ball is 0′s religion.

  • Doc99
  • Doc99

    TSA needs to scrap the shoes and drinks shenanigans and being threat-profiling instead. This lesson the Israelis learned long ago – PC kils.

  • Anonymous

    When will Obama start his world tour apologizing for the treatment that the would-be terrorist received as the hero patted out the fire?

  • Mary Ellen/Nunly

    “President Barack Obama was notified of the incident and discussed it with security officials, the White House said.”

    Obama’s response was: “Can’t I eat my waffles?”

  • d2i

    thanks for the link, Doc. it doesn’t look like he was seated in the emergency exit, but definitely over the wing. wow. imagine if the explosion worked. my god man, it would have likely taken the wing out. scary. very scary.

  • goldengrahme

    I love John Batchelor’s ability to condense major points and his sardonic twist of mind.  Some of us do see the absurdity of modern
    events. Try as we may, we can’t take them too seriously–thus we report
    or comment with a certain skepticism.  (Do you suppose our federal
    spooks see themselves in that light?)

    Now we might have to strip to get through the safety gauntlet at
    an airport.  I remember when flying used to be fun.  And when they
    served meals on cross-country flights–meat and veggies with a
    drink of choice.

  • tango

    You bet. Obama can then invite the suspect and the hero to the WH for a teaching moment topped off with the hero apologizing for profiling and violating the suspects civil rights. 

    But never fear - the suspect will get top notch care for his burns, probably get vitamins and supplemental drinks if he’s malnourished and then get oral surgery and dental care if his teeth are in bad shape.  I’m sure many non-insured American citizens struggling with health insurance issues will be comforted knowing that terror suspects get free health care and won’t have to wait four years to get benefits either.

  • Jazzman

    Ok…lets see… I am no fan of the TSA. Congress went way to far in a huge knee jerk reaction to 911. Its then made matters worse by creating DHS which added to the TSA stupidity. This has been going on now for the last eight years. TSA knows all too well what they need to do with both the magnetometers and bomb detectors. Now they scrapped the systems because they are unreliable?

    Though there is one company who was the prime contractor to the USSS who’s detection equipment was unbeatable and it protected the White House. But the experts are TSA did not like sole contractors so what did they do? They curved the testing parameters, meaning they lowered the requirements, so other companies could compete…

    Now to the defense of TSA in this matter…. We do not control foreign airports and or there screeing procedures and you cannot stop terrorism 100% of the time. We have been lucky so far…..

  • Jazzman

    ” New Homeland Security knee jerk directives keep passangers in their seats and without any items in their laps, including laptops and pillows, for the last 60-90 minutes of the flight.”

    The terrorist won…………….

  • Jazzman

    By the way…Peter Bergen…terrorism expert? Please gag me with a shovel….

  • sj

    Hey does this not mean we can now say the war on terror once again =-X

  • Clara

    I wondered about this delay when I first heard it.  Guess it wasn’t important since the phone didn’t ring at 3 am.  Besides, he wouldn’t have known what to do except to make a speech.

  • arky

    Say, here’s an idea to increase security on airlines…

    Look at the “Terrorist No-Fly list! 

    It’s a  good place to start.  Criminy. (Yemeni?)

  • whoframedrudy

    Not sure what you mean by PC:

    “A <a href=”http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3071586/”>young, pregnant Irish woman</a> tried to board that flight at London’s Heathrow airport to fly to Tel Aviv. She carried a bag packed by her Jordanian boyfriend ostensibly filled with “gifts” for his family in Israel. Unbeknownst to the woman, the bag was actually a ticking bomb, set to go off somewhere over Greece.”

    If Israeli Air Security had let this ‘young, pregnant Irish woman’ pass through without questioning, they would not have discovered the bomb planted in her luggage.

    It doesn’t take a criminal mastermind to clean up a white crackhead — like they do for trial (shave, suit and tie) — pay him/her a couple hundred, then pass him through ‘politically incorrect’ air security with planted bomb materials and rendezvous on board with a jihadist.

    If only Al Quaida were so dumb/unsophisticated that they couldn’t plan a workaround to exploit racial profiling.  In the Israeli case, the young white woman’s travel itinerary didn’t add up — that was the flag.  PC or not had nothing to do with it.