You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Africa North
Airlines go missing from Tripoli International Airport
2014-09-03
According to NewsMax:
Jihadists have stolen several commercial jetliners in Libya, raising concerns with intelligence officials about 9/11-style terror strikes as the 13th anniversary approaches, several news reports say.

The Algerian news site al-Fadjr on Aug. 6 said 11 aircraft went missing from Tripoli International Airport during fighting between militias, IHS Jane's 360 reports, but says the Algerian report was "probably not credible."

Subsequently, Mohamed Frikha, CEO of the Tunisian airline company Syphax, told Tunisia's Shems FM that two Airbus-A320 aircraft belonging to Libyan company Ifriqiya were missing from Misratah, Jane's reports.
Posted by:Bill Clinton

#17  Fear of combo Airliner-Tanker TerrOp agz CONUS.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2014-09-03 22:37  

#16  "Obama Lifts Ban Barring Libyans from US Flight Schools" .... kumbayah. What a fool. I used to give people the benefit of the doubt in their voting for obama, twice. I even wished for his success in his second term. I despise the man and have no regard for those that voted for him ... twice.
Posted by: irishrageboy   2014-09-03 15:29  

#15  You might find a number of them become property of the Saudi Royals. I could see a prince who wants a big, big, private plane. An Airforce One sized deal without the expensive bells and whistles.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2014-09-03 14:56  

#14  Even if they got the planes to a secret volcano base somewhere and fueled them up and had pilots standing buy there are still transponder codes and such that would give them away pretty quick before they came near any 1st world nation.

The bad guys better do a pretty nifty paint job on the planes to fool the combat aircraft ready to shoot them down. House paint won't do.

Much a doo about looting.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2014-09-03 14:55  

#13  I think the ones that were not flyable were cut up for the metal. Of the flyable ones opportunists more than likely stole them and are parting them out on the market in Europe, Iran or Africa. It is too easy to hijack a plane and very expensive to operate one. With that said, UBL wanted to detonate 11 plane simultaneously but it proved to be too complicated to pull off.
Posted by: 49 Pan   2014-09-03 13:00  

#12  A nuclear explosion of any size anywhere in the world will be detected. We, the other major western powers, the Russians and the Chinese have a plethora of detectors designed to do just that.
Posted by: Steve White   2014-09-03 12:57  

#11  I think a suitcase nuke is a stretch. If you have a suitcase why need a jetliner. Just walk across the southern border. Probably much easier as you won't have to deal with radar or pesky air traffic controllers.

In fact Obama may even give you a free ride to LA or some other large American city. No questions asked.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2014-09-03 12:44  

#10  i agree that missing malaysian airlines flight was likely a test for something

i think test for suitcase nuke that vaporised it over the sea leaving no debris

but realistically modern flights are very controlled they all have to log flight plans and the transponders report the jets position

if terrorists flew a jet anywhere, air traffic controllers would soon know that it was an unidentified jet with no flight plan. Simple to shoot it down. no passengers need worry
Posted by: anon1   2014-09-03 12:25  

#9  who is to say the Malaysian flight was not the test run for turning a commercial airline into a drone?
Posted by: airandee   2014-09-03 10:34  

#8   Photos of airport in Tripoli.
Posted by: JohnQC   2014-09-03 09:44  

#7  You have to wonder! "Against All Enemies, Foreign and Domestic?"
Posted by: JohnQC   2014-09-03 09:15  

#6  The Instaprof posts this just below the missing aircraft notice -

Obama Lifts Ban Barring Libyans from US Flight Schools and Nuclear Studies

WTF?
Posted by: Procopius2k   2014-09-03 08:58  

#5  Metal thieves?
Posted by: Procopius2k   2014-09-03 08:17  

#4  Is this report credible? To steal these aircraft, trained pilots would need to be found. Some place to stow these aircraft without being found would have to be located. Fuel would have to be available. The aircraft would have to be maintained. Transponders would have to be turned off and the aircraft go dark. Should the aircraft take-off from any location, it would likely show up on radar. If not properly identified, it might get shot down.

All that said, Malaysian 370 is still missing. Radicalized pilots can probably be found. Fuel is likely available. Transponders can be disabled. I can see a scenario where the jihadists could load a bunch of hostages on a plane with a jihadi-bent pilot and crash it into some target, somewhere--probably Europe.

Missing aircraft in jihadi territory is always a concern. These a$$holes, like dogs, tend to return to the same old fire hydrants to pi$$ on them (WTCs). Apologies to dogs everywhere. Park an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean--create a no-fly zone. Take down anything that appears in this NF zone.
Posted by: JohnQC   2014-09-03 07:51  

#3  Might not be a good time to book that late summer trip to Paris, Frankfurt, or London. And what about discovery, and the potential shooting down of civilian airliners as a preventative measure?
Terror at an entirely new level.

The current media frenzy over airline seat reclining wars may soon be the least of our worries.
Posted by: Besoeker   2014-09-03 03:44  

#2  along with a "missing" Malaysian plane?
Posted by: 3dc   2014-09-03 03:17  

#1  Great.
Where are the drums of enriched yellowcake?
Posted by: Skidmark   2014-09-03 02:34  

00:00