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| Europe | |
| Perfidious Gaul Update: French Question, Release Terror Suspects | |
| 2003-12-26 | |
| Link found via Steven Den Beste. Edited for length and content. The French authorities say they have found little evidence of plans to use US-bound aircraft to launch attacks against US targets over Christmas. Air France services to and from Los Angeles remain suspended on Thursday because of fears of a possible repeat of the 11 September hijackings. US security said earlier that a number of suspicious people were planning to board Air France planes. But French officials said seven men had been freed after questioning. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said the men - one French, one American and several Algerians - had been briefly questioned late on Wednesday. Read the whole thing, and SDB’s comments. I’m speechless. I almost put this in Fifth Column...
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| Posted by:Phil Fraering |
| #20 Paul, I guess I quit being shocked after their performance in the UN on the Iraq war, but I keep hoping against hope that they'll see the light and come around...knowing that's not going to happen. Depending on how egregious their behavior in this incident was, the US may be forced to ban all direct flights to France until further notice. Given the fact that most of us have scratched France off of our list of tourist destinations anyway, this wouldn't be a big hardship for Americans. France needs us a lot more than we need them. |
| Posted by: Jennie Taliaferro 2003-12-26 10:25:15 PM |
| #19 ...a couple of US interceptors flying near Air France planes heading near US borders is a prudent thing. So might having them land at non-major airports, away from metropolitan areas (as the Canadians did with the Israelis). |
| Posted by: Pappy 2003-12-26 8:46:03 PM |
| #18 Jennie---do not be shocked by the French behavior. They have consistantly looked after their interests only and not the big picture. Hell, they backed Sammy until the bitter end. The have a huge restive muslim population that is heading for critical mass, and their actions have been appeasement appeasement appeasement. France is an enemy, not yet a shootin' enemy, but they are an enemy. Matt--- a couple of US interceptors flying near Air France planes heading near US borders is a prudent thing. They will have to stand off a ways because of North Atlantic air traffic control requirements ( you cannot just cruise around ATC routes). Any deviation in AF flight paths will provoke an intercept. France needs to know that we are not playing games here. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-12-26 3:42:30 PM |
| #17 Gregory Djerejian of the Belgravia Dispatch points to a Le Monde article on the matter, and quotes a passage saying, essentially, "Zose stupide Americains, always zey suspect anozer 11 september. Pooh pooh! Feh feh! Tish tosh! We should remember zat in future when zey come to us wis zere petty security concerns." At least, that's what I made of it. Djerejian seems to regard it as a minor improvement that the French even remember there was a September 11. Here's the article from Le Monde (en francais, naturellement). Ten men on a list on two flights, and it all meant nothing? |
| Posted by: Angie Schultz 2003-12-26 3:42:19 PM |
| #16 All in all, I would say this was a very clear, voluble demonstration of French pique. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2003-12-26 12:06:39 PM |
| #15 At the very least, no American citizens should be flying Air France. Anywhere. |
| Posted by: Tresho 2003-12-26 12:04:11 PM |
| #14 However, a French interior ministry spokesman said little evidence of a terrorist plot had been found. What little evidence there is is of no importance I guess. I shrug. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2003-12-26 11:45:32 AM |
| #13 Oh, and if I was Al Queda, I'd be trying to grab some Africa to Beirut flight filled with Christian Arabs heading home for the holidays and slam it into Tel Aviv. I doubt that's what happened in this case but its about what I was expecting and I wouldn't be surprised. |
| Posted by: ruprecht 2003-12-26 11:28:59 AM |
| #12 I think I don't want to see an Air France plane anywhere near North America that doesn't have two US fighters locked up on it. |
| Posted by: Matt 2003-12-26 11:27:43 AM |
| #11 Far be it from me to defend the French, but I still feel something stinky about this entire Al Queda Christmas attack. I think they bumped up the chatter hoping to sew terror when they had no way of implementing the terrori itself. To me the Bin Laden personally approved bit is the key because I don't believe one can talk to the dead. If it was a real plan, and I was France, I would have turned the guys over and then let the news know that I let them free. If anyone claims their missing you say they must have fled. Sew confusion with the enemy, create deniability with your own Moslims. Of course if I was France I'd really be looking for a way to stick it to the US and scratching my head wondering why my foreign policy is in total disarray and why Americans are no longer buying French wine and visiting France when we are such good buddies and all. |
| Posted by: ruprecht 2003-12-26 11:23:22 AM |
| #10 It's hard to escape the conclusion that France wants another major attack on the US, but want to do just enough to give the impression it's not their fault. |
| Posted by: rkb 2003-12-26 11:14:38 AM |
| #9 Suspending Air France flights into the US won't work so long as they can fly into Canada and Mexico. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-12-26 11:07:54 AM |
| #8 at least we played hardball with the Frog bastards: "M Raffarin's spokesman added that the United States had threatened to refuse the planes permission to land if they took off." |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-12-26 10:21:03 AM |
| #7 This is disgraceful behaviour, the link at SDB's site to the Telegraph (non-tabloid, generally very good) gives more information - and it's not good news. You're quite right Phil, paying danegeld never works... |
| Posted by: Tony (UK) 2003-12-26 6:20:55 AM |
| #6 I read an article here in Belgium (at wifey's for Christmas)that one of the suspected AQs was a trained pilot and he never showed up for the flight. Tipped off by the Frenchies? Non-moi! |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2003-12-26 4:29:12 AM |
| #5 It may only be an urban myth that some wonk in the Billary Clinton State Dept. said, "Y'know, it's a shame that Hitler guy gave appeasement such a bad name." |
| Posted by: Glenn (not Reynolds) 2003-12-26 2:13:09 AM |
| #4 IF they were doing this to satisfy their islamofascists, or others, but if so... paying them danegeld hasn't worked for Musharraf, it hasn't worked for the Saudis... what makes them think it's going to work for them? |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2003-12-26 1:42:02 AM |
| #3 God, Phil, let's hope and pray that you and the others are wrong...but you may not be. This is extremely shocking on the part of the French, on the one hand, and on the other hand, it's not, given the bad behavior they've already shown. My gut feeling is that their role in this escapade was for the benefit of *their* Islamofascists, to assure them that they'll give them a pass and was nothing but posturing for our benefit, to be seen to be going through the motions of fighting the WOT, but giving this AlQ cell a heads up to change their MO. Otherwise, I'm almost struck dumb, too. What a world we live in. |
| Posted by: Jennie Taliaferro 2003-12-26 1:28:43 AM |
| #2 Personally, I'm not sure why we even consider france a friendly nation at this point. We should isolate them just like we do cuba or n. korea; no direct transport, no commerce, nothing. It's not like cutting off trade with those smelly b*stards would make any difference, they have nothing we can't source elsewhere. Problem is, what do we do with the scum quebecois to our north? They're quite the pro-al qaeda mob. |
| Posted by: 4thInfVet 2003-12-26 12:43:08 AM |
| #1 US officials said they fear Air France has been infiltrated by Islamic extremists and have criticised French co-operation in providing details of passengers on US-bound flights. One explanation. Solution: allow no Air France flights into the U.S. period. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2003-12-26 12:38:18 AM |