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Politics : WAR on Terror. Will it engulf the Entire Middle East? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Scoobah who wrote (1295)	12/23/2001 4:37:22 AM
From: Scoobah	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 32591

Sunday, 23 December, 2001, 06:07 GMT FBI quiz plane explosives man FBI agents detained the suspect (r) on arrival FBI investigators are interrogating a man who tried to ignite explosives in his shoe during a flight from Paris to the United States. American Airlines flight 63 en route to Miami was escorted in to land at Boston's Logan airport by two F-15 fighter jets after the man was subdued by crew members and passengers. They X-rayed the shoe and found that in the heel, there were holes drilled, and there looked to be a detonator wire, and the substances consistent with [the explosive] C-4 Airport official Laura White The man, of Middle Eastern appearance, was travelling on British passport, issued in the name of Richard Reid in Belgium three weeks ago. Correspondents say the incident will fuel American and British fears that so-called "sleepers" working for Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network are planning to follow up the 11 September attacks with more atrocities. The plane was surrounded by police on arrival The US Federal Aviation Authority had issued an advisory on terrorism ahead of the Christmas season, including a warning to watch for explosives hidden in footwear. A spokeswoman was unable to say whether the British embassy in Brussels had issued a passport in the name of Richard Reid, or whether a man called Richard Reid had reported that his passport had been stolen. A spokeswoman for Britain's Foreign Office said it was seeking consular access as was customary in cases involving UK citizens. The White House said President George W Bush had been kept fully informed. Strapped to a seat Tom Kinton, director of aviation at Logan airport, said the crew on board had subdued the passenger and prevented "something serious" from happening. The Boeing 767 was carrying 185 passengers and 12 crew. Mr Kinton said that the man, apparently in his late twenties, had attempted to detonate an "improvised explosive" in his footwear. The flight attendants and passengers who helped subdue the suspect showed great bravery and poise in what was obviously a very dangerous situation Massachusetts Acting Governor Jane Swift "I'm told the flight attendant was drawn to him by the smell of sulphur from a lit match, and then challenged him as to what he was doing," said Mr Kinton. The flight attendant also saw a wire or detonation cord sticking out of the shoe. The 1.95 metre (6 ft 4 in) man became violent when tackled by cabin staff, resisting and biting one woman flight attendant. Passengers help to control him by strapping him into a seat, some of them using their belts, where he was sedated by two doctors. Massachusetts Acting Governor Jane Swift praised the pose and bravery of those who subdued the man. USS Cole explosive The man, who was travelling alone and without any luggage, is now being questioned by officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The plane was en route from Paris An X-ray of the shoe revealed enough explosives to cause significant destruction. "They X-rayed the shoe and found that in the heel, there were holes drilled, and there looked to be a detonator wire, and the substances consistent with [the explosive] C-4," airport official Laura White said. C-4 is a military plastic explosive. The whitish, putty-like substance can be easily moulded by hand, and needs to be exploded with a detonator, said explosives engineer Sidney Alford. It was used in the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen, which killed 17 US sailors and wounded 39.