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| Sharp-dressed man helped bomber get onboard without a passport |
| 2009-12-28 |
| A Michigan man who was aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 says he witnessed Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab trying to board the plane in Amsterdam without a passport. Kurt Haskell of Newport, Mich., who posted an earlier comment about his experience, talked exclusively with MLive.com and confirmed he was on the flight by sending a picture of his boarding pass. He and his wife, Lori, were returning from a safari in Uganda when they boarded the NWA flight on Friday. Kurt HaskellLori and Kurt HaskellHaskell said he and his wife were sitting on the ground near their boarding gate in Amsterdam, which is when they saw Mutallab approach the gate with an unidentified man. While Mutallab was poorly dressed, his friend was dressed in an expensive suit, Haskell said. He says the suited man asked ticket agents whether Mutallab could board without a passport. “The guy said, 'He's from Sudan and we do this all the time.'” Mutallab is Nigerian. Haskell believes the man may have been trying to garner sympathy for Mutallab's lack of documents by portraying him as a Sudanese refugee. The ticket agent referred Mutallab and his companion to her manager down the hall, and Haskell didn't see Mutallab again until after he allegedly tried to detonate an explosive on the plane. |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #10 rj, I'm sure that his major concern is that the poor innocent person's rights are protected. The rest of us, not so much. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2009-12-28 20:07 |
| #9 Be interesting to hear Obama's thoughts on waterboarding now that its his life and death responsibilty. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2009-12-28 17:52 |
| #8 I understand that the xmas bomber is talking so the FBI, etc. should know who the helpers are at Schiphol. FWIW, I was there last Aug. The security screening was mostly done at each gate, not at the entrance to the gate-terminal like most airports (sometimes a few gates were together - like at the KC International). |
| Posted by: lord garth 2009-12-28 11:34 |
| #7 Some airport/airline personnel might know there's a Muslim concentration in the Dearborn area, but many aren't going to know the difference between Sunni and Shia, or a Nigerian and a Sudanese. And if you're Dutch, and the passenger is going out of country (and to the U.S. in particular), you likely don't care. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2009-12-28 11:22 |
| #6 ZZTOP - Sharp Dressed Man |
| Posted by: 3dc 2009-12-28 10:14 |
| #5 Should we assume security cameras have identified the sharp dressed ZZ Top wannabe by now? |
| Posted by: Muggsy Glink 2009-12-28 10:09 |
| #4 Dearbornistan and surrounds are largely Shia, if I'm not mistaken. Al-Q is a Sunni outfit, and has been celebrating Ashoura in proper Islamic fashion this weekend. Allahu Snackbar. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2009-12-28 02:00 |
| #3 MUTALLAB is repor claiming that AL QAEDA INSTRUCTED HIM TO BLOW UP THE PLANE OVER US SOIL??? IIRC the US State of MICHIGAN has one of the largest, iff not the largest, Muslim communities in the entire US of A - IMO this means that Mutallab blowing the plane just minites before landing in Michigan was likely meant to inspire local area Muslims unto engaging in Terror agz their own Stae, MidWest, + Nation. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-12-28 01:40 |
| #2 Howdy Sea! Happy holidays and hope you're well! You did predict this, didn't you. Now what we have to predict is whether the fools currently in charge of DHS will start getting airport security right. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2009-12-28 01:11 |
| #1 Hey everyone, long time no see. As I've watched the stories roll in on this story, I realized I predicted nearly exactly this situation (right down to the airport!)a little over four years ago. Go take a look here, and read down through to my additional comment. I got it mostly right, I think, including the handler who smoothly and easily evaded the security protocols, while the rest of us learn how to use a catheter and a ziploc bag when we fly. Cheers! |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2009-12-28 00:43 |