CNN Reporting Times Square Bomber...

[Spadhampton]

Suspect arrested on board Emirates Airliner departing for Dubai. His name is "Faisal Shahzad".

[BITE System]

I wander what nationality he is?

[Short Approach?]

He's American

[145qrh]

Could easily be abbreviated to Fuzzy Shah...:ok:

[Icarus]

Naturalised American - he is (or was) from Pakistan.

Apparently three taken off the flight initially including this guy.

This story broke on Yahoo! and the contributor threads/comments are over 17000 and mounting more quickly than you can read. Very vitriolic statements made by the US public over this incident, they are clearly very upset about it and their Government.

Conn. man from Pakistan held in Times Square case - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_times_square_car_bomb)

[Spadhampton]

LOL....Americans are always up-set with their government. That is normal now days. Beating up on the government has become a popular pastime. Every time something sensational happens, or, is made sensational by the media, the upset get "sensational" themselves.

As for this guy, looks like more alleged acquaintances have been arrested in Pakistan. Wonder what the people on the Emirates airliner have to say? Flight Crew?

[gadgetman]

Emirates is getting s LOT of coverage on CNN.
Expect this to dovetail nicely with the new marketing campaign 'Emirates, we fly ANYONE."

[motojet]

Actually it looks like Emirates notified the authorities when he bought the ticket in cash at the counter.

Times Square Terror Plot: Emirates Airlines Plays Key Role - CBS News Investigates - CBS News (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20004080-10391695.html)

[filejw]

Just read that Emirates didn't keep its No Fly list data base updated thus letting the accused on the flight from JFK. The TSA will for sure be giving them a hard time about it...

[Commander Taco]

Maybe if they promise to keep their no-fly lists updated, they can use that as leverage for more landing rights in the U.S. Sort of like they will allow the Canadians to keep their staging base in Dubai open in return for enhanced route rights into Canada. ;)

[Spadhampton]

I thought Canada was anthropologically linked to the middle east? Or was that China? I can’t remember, but rumor has it that this guy’s daddy is a high ranking Pakistani Air Force General from Toronto. Err....something like that.

[guemes]

NYT has a different take on the "Emirates plays a key role"


But at about 12:30 p.m. on Monday, more certain that Mr. Shahzad was the suspected terrorist, investigators asked the Department of Homeland Security to put him on the no-fly list. Three minutes later, the department sent airlines, including Emirates, an electronic notification that they should check the no-fly list for an update. At about 4:30 p.m., more information was added to the list, including Mr. Shahzad’s passport number, officials said.

Workers at Emirates evidently did not check the list, because at 6:30 p.m., Mr. Shahzad called the airline and booked a flight to Pakistan via Dubai, officials said. At 7:35 p.m., he arrived at the airport, paid cash for his ticket and was given a boarding pass.

Airlines are not required to report cash purchases, a Homeland Security official said. Emirates actually did report Mr. Shahzad’s purchase to the Transportation Security Administration — but only hours later, when he was already in custody, the official said.

Mr. Shahzad had evaded the surveillance effort and bought his ticket seven hours after his name went on the no-fly list. But the system gives security officials one more chance to stop a dangerous passenger.

As is routine, when boarding was completed for the flight, Emirates Flight EK202, the final passenger manifest was sent to the National Targeting Center, operated in Virginia by Customs and Border Protection. There, at about 11 p.m., analysts discovered that Mr. Shahzad was on the no-fly list and had just boarded a plane.

Security Lapses Let Bomb Suspect Board Plane - NYTimes.com (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/nyregion/05plane.html?hp)

[PorkKnuckle]

at about 12:30 p.m. ......investigators .....put him on the no-fly list.

Three minutes later, the department sent .....Emirates, an electronic notification that they should check the no-fly list for an update.

At about 4:30 p.m., more information was added to the list, including Mr. Shahzad’s passport number

Just like Emirates SOPs: Inform the airlines of new information, without telling them what it is. Blame them when they miss the update.

Good to see our inept team on the back foot when this is every bit they way they disseminate information to us.

But the irony is no doubt lost on the ass-clowns in our management.

Once again, EK gets what they paid for.

[Togalk]

Emirates is not to blame. The FBI, or whoever was following this guy are the only ones to blame. They found him, followed him, tracked them AND THEN LOST HIM!!! If he wasn't boarding a flight to somewhere they NEVER would have caught him. They are inept, buffoons. Just like the Underwear bomber, how many more signs did they need and they still screwed up.

[guemes]

If he wasn't boarding a flight to somewhere they NEVER would have caught him.

Really????

[nolimitholdem]

Yeah whatever. As if an outfit that can't get the correct amount of crew meals on board is going to save the day. These clowns couldn't organize a one-car parade and they want you to believe they were instrumental in stopping this loyal "American"...

Riggggght...

"Fly Emirates - the Official Airline of the Pakistani Taliban"...

The move came after Shahzad, a 30-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, was allowed to board an Emirates Airlines flight bound for Dubai from New York's Kennedy Airport on Monday, despite having been placed on a no-fly list at 12:30 p.m. earlier that day. The airline did not take action after receiving a message sent to all airlines alerting them to check their flight manifests for an individual added to the no-fly list, U.S. officials claim.

New U.S. anti-terror measures in place after bomb scare (http://www.vancouversun.com/news/anti+terror+measures+place+after+bomb+scare/2990505/story.html)

In other words, Emirates DIDN'T do anything, and then tried to claim credit for reporting the pax...AFTER HE WAS CAUGHT!

How typical.

[Spadhampton]

One wonders if there is not an enemy sympathetic mole tucked away within the Emirates gate staff/management. “Oh, we’ll update tomorrow, when the workload is lighter”….or something to that effect.

How convenient he got on the ONE airline that had not “updated” TSA data for that ONE flight.

[icarus sun]

There are many moles in Emirates/dxb.
A lot of the lower paid workers have connections with the tribal districts in Pakistan.
Also Dubai itself has a large group of traders with ties to Iran. If you do a Google search you will find that Dxb was/is a centre for the smuggling of parts for the Iranian nuclear project.
Just talking to the taxi drivers you will see that a lot come from west pakistan. All not paid much so very easy to bribe etc.
Dxb is the middle east version of tangiers when it was an open city.
Just about anything goes on.
You have all the military flights to Afghanistan from Minhad.Dubai/Jebel Ali ports for the navies. U2 and Global hawk flights from Al Dhafra.
Other nations nearyby are taking a keen interest and have their moles in dxb to see whay going on.

[Spadhampton]

Sounds intriguing and dangerous. I promise not to get to close. Maybe Oman?