Stowaway on Bush Press Plane in Africa

[Airbubba]

From http://www.drudgereport.com/ :


**EXCLUSIVE** 7.11.03 // 10:24:09 ET /// Secret Service just arrested a stowaway who made it onto the Bush press charter plane in Pretoria, South Africa this morning and flew unmolested to Entebbe, Uganda, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned... After getting on and off the 747 with absolutely no credentials, he boarded a bus with the rest of the White House press corps and was taken to the Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel on the shore of Lake Victoria -- the same hotel where Bush arrived 90 minutes later! MORE.... The White House staff noticed that no one seemed to know the guy, so they alerted Secret Service, who arrested him at the hotel. There was a lot of shouting from the guy as he was hustled off to jail. Secret Service Agent Mark Sullivan assured reporters the president was never in danger, although he didn't say whether the same held true for the press. After all, there are reports of Al Qaeda presence in Uganda. MORE... Man had no weapons, sources tell DRUDGE, and no passport. Man being charged by Ugandan authorities with illegal entry. He was nabbed after actually trying to enter the part of the hotel complex were the president was making his appearance... MORE... There was the usual contingent of three Secret Service agents on the press plane. Also, although authorities stopped this guy from getting into the Bush event, some uncredentialed journalists gained entry! DEVELOPING....

[con-pilot]

Yeah, I saw this on the ABC national nightly news last night. I couldn’t believe it! I know what the security is like around any of the 89th fleet (Presidential aircraft fleet). The only thing that I don’t know is was the press aircraft a charter or one of the 89th’s aircraft. I could understand the breach a little better if it was a charter aircraft.

However in any case there will be some Secret Service folks either A. looking for a new job tomorrow or B. will soon be looking for counterfeiters in Nome Alaska for the rest of their careers. For you that don’t know the Secret Service has two areas of responsibilities, one protecting the Executive Branch (President, Vice-President, etc.) and enforcing currency laws, counterfeiting.

:uhoh:

[Oilhead]

This was a chartered press flight using a UAL 747-400. The airline provided plane and crew only.

Secret Service is 100% responsible for handling and boarding of passengers and cargo etc. Funny thing is this fellow being referred to as a "Stowaway" when he simply walked on with everyone else; not as though he tucked himself away in a gear bay etc!

Rather embarrassing as you suggest.

Good job his speech writers do a job better job! VBG

[Airbubba]

Bush Plane Stowaway Says Is Correspondent

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 8:49 p.m. ET

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) -- A man who stowed away on a chartered plane for reporters covering President Bush's Africa trip claims he is a correspondent for a South African youth project, police say.

The man, who is believed to be South African, had no identification on him when he was arrested Friday in Uganda after a White House aide notified U.S. Secret Service that he had joined reporters traveling with the president.

During questioning by Ugandan police, he identified himself as Patrick Fello Litheko and said he covers AIDS issues for a South African organization called the Gauteng Youth Development Project, police spokesman Asuman Mugenyi said Saturday.

But Khulekani Ntshangase, a spokesman for the youth wing of South Africa's ruling African National Congress party, said Sunday he did not believe the organization was registered in South Africa.

The stowaway told police he lost his passport covering Bush's visit to Botswana on Thursday, Mugenyi said.

Still, he was able to board the United Airlines Boeing 747 that took journalists, White House staff and Secret Service agents from Pretoria, South Africa, to Bush's next stop in Entebbe, Uganda.

``He has not been very cooperative in releasing information and that is why we are still holding him to find his motive,'' Mugenyi said. ``We are not convinced that he is telling the truth.''

Mugenyi said the man could be charged with being an illegal alien or he could be deported.

Bush spent four hours in this East African nation Friday as part of his five-nation tour of Africa.