The Glade 4.0 :: View topic - Overreaction, or not far enough?

Envoy In Plane Scare Was To Meet Jailed Terrorist
by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

April 8, 2010
A Qatari diplomat was on his way to meet an imprisoned al-Qaida agent when he touched off a bomb scare by slipping into an airline bathroom for a smoke, officials said Thursday as they announced plans to send the diplomat home.

A State Department official and another person close to the matter say Mohammed Al-Madadi was going to meet Ali Al-Marri in prison. Consular officials frequently visit foreigners held in the United States to make sure they are being treated well.

Al-Marri, a citizen of Qatar, is serving eight years in prison after pleading guilty last year to conspiring to support terrorism. He was arrested after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, accusing him of being a sleeper agent researching poisonous gases and plotting a cyberattack.

The visit with such a high-profile prisoner suggests that Al-Madadi would have been very aware of terrorism concerns when he sneaked into the plane's bathroom for a smoke and, according to authorities, joked about lighting his shoe on fire.

The people who discussed the case did so on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

No explosives were found on the plane and authorities said they don't think Al-Madidi was trying to hurt anyone during Wednesday's scare. He enjoys diplomatic immunity from U.S. prosecution and will not be criminally charged, authorities said. The State Department official said Qatar had not yet informed the administration how they will handle the case.

Wednesday's scare came three months after the attempted terror attack on Christmas Day when a Nigerian man allegedly tried to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner. The Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, went to the bathroom just before he allegedly tried to ignite his bomb in his seat. Since then, law enforcement, flight crews and passengers have been on high alert for suspicious activity on airplanes. That scare exposed major holes in the country's national security and prompted immediate changes in terror-screening policies.

Author:	Micheal [ Wed Apr 07, 2010 10:49 pm ]
Post subject:	Overreaction, or not far enough?
Man may just have been smoking on flight from D.C. to Las Vegas Suspicious passenger subdued on flight This is amusing in certain ways, if the guys story is true, he was just being a jerk and sneaking a smoke during a DC to Las Vegas flight. From what they have found so far, it seems to be the truth. He put out the cigarette on the sole of his shoe when caught - not the brightest move. so, did the crew and passengers overreact? Not by the guidelines I'm sure, but I doubt the idiot Diplomat will light up on a commercial American flight again. So, read the story and tell me what your take is. Noble heroes reacting to a threat to their lives, or blind fools who wouldn't stop to listen and endangered our relations with Qatar, do we care about them? Somewhere in between? Anti-smoker violence? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36243847/ns ... _security/ April 7: NBC's Pete Williams reports on breaking news of an airline passenger who was subdued by a federal air marshal on a flight from Washington D.C. to Denver. Suspicious passenger subdued on flight NBC's Pete Williams reports on breaking news of an airline passenger who was subdued by a federal air marshal on a flight from Washington D.C. to Denver. A passenger was subdued by a federal air marshal during an incident aboard an airliner flying from Washington to Las Vegas on Wednesday night, sources told NBC News. Federal officials told NBC News that the man, a Qatari diplomat, may just have been smoking in a restroom of the jet. But the FBI was investigating whether the man attempted to ignite something aboard the plane. United Flight 663, a Boeing 757 with 157 passengers and six crew members aboard, landed safely at Denver International Airport, airline and airport officials said. Story continues below ↓advertisement \| your ad here A half hour before landing, a flight attendant smelled smoke just as a passenger was coming out of a restroom and alerted an air marshal, federal officials told NBC. The marshal confronted the man, and there were initial reports that the man said he was trying to light his shoe. But NBC News reported that the man said he was putting out a cigarette, which he smoked in the restroom, on the sole of his shoe. A search of the man found no explosives, and a search of the plane with bomb-detecting dogs also turned up no explosives. Sources told NBC News that the passenger who was subdued was a Qatari diplomat in his mid-20s who was assigned to the embassy in Washington. The man may have full diplomatic immunity. After the pilot declared an emergency, military jets scrambled and escorted the jet into Denver, where the plane remained in a secure area, NBC affiliate WRC reported. Denver was a scheduled stop on the flight from Reagan National Airport to Las Vegas. The incident follows an attempted bombing on Christmas Day by a Nigerian man who tried to detonate explosives hidden in his underwear on a flight to Detroit from Amsterdam. The suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was burned in the incident, which was foiled by passengers. The Christmas attempt led to airport clampdowns and mandatory screening of air travelers from 14 countries. Qatar is not among the 14. Last week, the United States announced new security measures to replace the mandatory screening. The 14 countries were those on the U.S. list of "state sponsors of terrorism" — Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria — as well as Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen. Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Nigeria — U.S. partners in the fight against al Qaida — were angered at being on the list.

Author:	Sam [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 1:24 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Overreaction, or not far enough?

Author:	Diamondeye [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 6:38 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Overreaction, or not far enough?
No, it's not an overreaction. Smoking on an airplane is extremely foolish regardless of terrorism. In light of the events of the past few years, any reaction less than this would have been foolish. Seriously, what are we telling people? "Don't let a terrorist go ahead with his plans... but make sure when you attack the guy with a mysterious smoking object he shouldn't have anyway that you're not 'overreacting'"? As for diplomatic relations with Qatar, I doubt they'll be harmed because one junior embassy worker did something stupid and caused a misunderstanding.

Author:	darksiege [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 6:40 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Overreaction, or not far enough?
Micheal wrote: The man may have full diplomatic immunity. Like this would actually matter to the US Government?

Author:	Rorinthas [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:44 am ]
Post subject:
iirc a person with diplomattic immunity can be cited or caused to desist a suspected illegal act, perhaps eve by appropriate force, they just can't be formally charged or detained.

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Author:	Hopwin [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 10:33 am ]
Post subject:
Arjen Rudd wrote: Diplomatic immunity! Roger Murtaugh wrote: It's just been revoked!

Author:	Müs [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 10:44 am ]
Post subject:
PNG his dumb ***.

Author:	Arathain Kelvar [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 11:46 am ]
Post subject:
Nice, Hopwin. LOL

Author:	Diamondeye [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 1:45 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Overreaction, or not far enough?
darksiege wrote: Micheal wrote: The man may have full diplomatic immunity. Like this would actually matter to the US Government? Yes, actually it would since Qatar provides us basing rights, and we'd like OUR diplomats and embassies to be respected - and not just by them. You can't conduct international affairs at all without rules that protect the people responsible for conducting them.

Author:	Diamondeye [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 1:47 pm ]
Post subject:	Re:
Rorinthas wrote: iirc a person with diplomattic immunity can be cited or caused to desist a suspected illegal act, perhaps eve by appropriate force, they just can't be formally charged or detained. That's true. All you can do is declare them persona non grata and send them packing - unless you can get the parent country to revoke their immunity. If they were accused of something that was a major embarassment to the parent country that could happen.

Author:	Vindicarre [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 4:17 pm ]
Post subject:
Looks like he was going to make a visit to jail: Quote: Envoy In Plane Scare Was To Meet Jailed Terrorist by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS April 8, 2010 A Qatari diplomat was on his way to meet an imprisoned al-Qaida agent when he touched off a bomb scare by slipping into an airline bathroom for a smoke, officials said Thursday as they announced plans to send the diplomat home. A State Department official and another person close to the matter say Mohammed Al-Madadi was going to meet Ali Al-Marri in prison. Consular officials frequently visit foreigners held in the United States to make sure they are being treated well. Al-Marri, a citizen of Qatar, is serving eight years in prison after pleading guilty last year to conspiring to support terrorism. He was arrested after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, accusing him of being a sleeper agent researching poisonous gases and plotting a cyberattack. The visit with such a high-profile prisoner suggests that Al-Madadi would have been very aware of terrorism concerns when he sneaked into the plane's bathroom for a smoke and, according to authorities, joked about lighting his shoe on fire. The people who discussed the case did so on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. No explosives were found on the plane and authorities said they don't think Al-Madidi was trying to hurt anyone during Wednesday's scare. He enjoys diplomatic immunity from U.S. prosecution and will not be criminally charged, authorities said. The State Department official said Qatar had not yet informed the administration how they will handle the case. Wednesday's scare came three months after the attempted terror attack on Christmas Day when a Nigerian man allegedly tried to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner. The Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, went to the bathroom just before he allegedly tried to ignite his bomb in his seat. Since then, law enforcement, flight crews and passengers have been on high alert for suspicious activity on airplanes. That scare exposed major holes in the country's national security and prompted immediate changes in terror-screening policies. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... =125734647

Author:	Müs [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 4:23 pm ]
Post subject:
P. N. G. his dumb ***.

Author:	Taskiss [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 5:23 pm ]
Post subject:	Re:
Müs wrote: P. N. G. his dumb ***. ? All I can come up with based on PNG is the portable network graphics image format.

Author:	FarSky [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 5:34 pm ]
Post subject:
Yeah, me too. And the guy's already been JPGed and GIFed by Hopwin, so he's probably already down for the count.

Author:	Taskiss [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 5:47 pm ]
Post subject:	Re:
Micheal wrote: PNG means declare a person Persona Non Grata, the first step in deporting an unwelcome foreigner with connections like diplomatic immunity. . You're kidding! I figured it would involve bodily invasive stuff at the very least. I mean... "PNG his ***"? That makes it sound as if a proctologist would be needed to fix him up afterward. And probably a mop.

Author:	Micheal [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 6:08 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Overreaction, or not far enough?
PNG Portable Network Graphics Papua New Guinea Professional Numismatists Guild (Collector Information Rare Coin) and from wikipedia Persona Non Grata Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations Article 9, a receiving State may "at any time and without having to explain its decision" declare any member of a diplomatic staff persona non grata. A person so declared is considered unacceptable and is usually recalled to his or her home nation. If not recalled, the receiving State "may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the mission." While diplomatic immunity protects mission staff from prosecution for violating civil and criminal laws, depending on rank, under Articles 41 and 42 of the Vienna Convention, they are bound to respect national laws and regulations (amongst other issues). Breaches of these articles can lead to persona non grata being used to 'punish' erring staff. It is also used to expel diplomats suspected of espionage ("activities incompatible with their status") or any overt criminal act (example: drug trafficking), or as a symbolic indicator of displeasure (e.g. the Italian expulsion of the Egyptian First Secretary in 1984). So-called "tit-for-tat" exchanges have occurred, notably during the Cold War. Notable recent occurrences include exchanges between the United Kingdom and Egypt, the United Kingdom and Iran, the United States and Venezuela, the United States and Belarus, the United Kingdom and Russia, between Russia and Georgia, between the United States and Bolivia, between India and Pakistan and between Australia and Fiji. ------------------ So, it is a process still very much recognized and used today. If a member of the diplomatic staff is declared and remains PNG and the Embassy doesn't get them out of the country pretty quickly, the offended country can grab him on the street and either nicely put him on a plane for home or arrest him since his diplomatic immunity has been revoked. At no point is this status translated to an ally, just because the United Kingdom finds a Latverian diplomat to be PNG, it doesn't mean the guy has to go home and fave Dr. Doom's wrath, he may be transferred to Germany or Spain or Genosha (or any where else not Britain), which doesn't mean German, Spanish or Genoshan authorities aren't going to keep a lcose eye on him, just that if he is assigned there, they need to declare him PNG if they don't want him there. Of course, the proctological napalm gun treatment is another version of we don't want you here, but that tends to be a more final solution.

Author:	Vindicarre [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 11:07 pm ]
Post subject:
I just heard that Samuel L. Jackson signed to star in the movie version of this guys life: Spoiler: Smokes on a Plane! Sorry

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Author:	Micheal [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 5:40 pm ]
Post subject:
PNG means declare a person Persona Non Grata, the first step in deporting an unwelcome foreigner with connections like diplomatic immunity. .

Author:	Taskiss [ Thu Apr 08, 2010 6:17 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Overreaction, or not far enough?
Micheal wrote: Of course, the proctological napalm gun treatment is another version of we don't want you here, but that tends to be a more final solution. HA! That solution would indeed require a mop.

Author:	LadyKate [ Thu Apr 29, 2010 11:27 am ]
Post subject:	Re:
FarSky wrote: Yeah, me too. And the guy's already been JPGed and GIFed by Hopwin, so he's probably already down for the count. WIN! Seriously, people know the rules. Don't smoke on a plane....sneaking a cigarette on a flight is not what it was a few years ago. I don't think anyone overreacted at all, nor should his home country be upset.