If one is willing to smoke illegally in the lav it's not a stretch to believe they would cover thier tracks by illegally disabling the smoke detector.

@baggersup...

Unfortunately the Americans have yet to learn the lessons of Europe in the 60's / 70's / 80's / 90's... We lived with the threat of terrorism from the IRA, Baader Mienhof, PLO and Brigado Rosso et al. If you let these people change your way of life then they have won. Life must continue as close to possible as normal.

@jackonicko

Numbers of diplomats in a country's mission are the subject of bilateral agreement. Although the odd trade attaché may not be all he appears to be it is rather difficult to hide 22 intelligence operatives within the normal diplomatic staff. Any member of the agreed diplomatic staff who enjoys immunity that is caught in activities inconsistent with diplomatic position will be expelled. That of course will trigger a tit-for-tat expulsion on the other side to protest their innocence...... And so on.....

Of course what you get away with on the pretext of the USA's 'War Of Terror' in partership with local LEA's is quite another thing.

I'm wondering where over the US he was in the bathroom.....surely they werent on the initial descent into DEN. But how far do you continue the flight? Even if the marshals had him cuffed, you have 2 F-16's on your wing all the way to your pt of intended landing......interesting choice.

Pot - Kettle here.
 

This from a a country with the highest number of cameras per capita?

Good lord, the guy was breaking the law, said he was trying to light his shoes on fire. Those on the scene make a decision to detain the man given his actions and statements. He was later released. Life did continue as close to possible as normal.

Don't be a bunch of drama queens. Don't extrapolate anything to some larger context.

He broke the law if the reports are true. That of itself should cause the detention even if the yahoo was from Des Moines let alone elsewhere.

I suppose the UK's experience of explosive destruction is limited. Just the Blitz, WW2, the IRA and various middle-eastern parties. I seem to remember year upon year of having bits of London go up in a bang, or being rushed out of shops, tube stations and theatres because there had been a bomb threat, an experience not familiar to most Americans.

The UK's main response was to remove public litter bins. If only we'd know how to overreact properly!

Shooting an innocent electrician in the aftermath of the London bombings really doesn't play into the stiff upper lip too cool for you approach you would like to believe.

All those CCTV's, a bit more than removing the rubbish bins but you're entrenched in your version of a cool response.

Over-reaction?
 

Paul L posted
"Perhaps the lighting of shoelaces is a subtle plot to identify the air marshals so that his pals a couple of rows back can take them out and THEN go on to hijack the plane... Hence the fighter escort. http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...lies/wink2.gif
Just joking guys..."

I don't understand why both of the 2 air marshalls on the flight were *both* required to sit with the idiot and give up their identity as marshalls - his offence was smoking and being an idiot with his comments. This happens almost everyday.

One (1) of the marshalls could have identified himself, gagged him, tied him up to a seat and kept an eye on him - leaving another marshall unidentified and ready to act if something else were to happen. What if, as Paul L suggests, his pals *were* waiting to see who the marshalls were before making a move. I suggest being over-zealous comprimised the level of security for the remainder of the flight.

I know, it's easy to be the arm chair critic....but I have seen a pax get busted for smoking on a flight into KLAS in 2006, 2 marshalls did not sit with the passenger for the remainder of the flight and no F16 escort.

Maybe I am missing something here?

Rob.

Well, perhaps the KLAS smoker did not joke about attempting to light his shoelaces just three months after a high-profile bombing attempt. Being Caucasian would have been a plus. :O

Were marshalls even aboard? I don't believe there are enough sky marshalls to cover every flight in the US. On the other hand, if I remember correctly, one of the stipulations of reopening KDCA after 9/11 (in addition to the 30-minute potty rule) was that all flights in and out were to have sky marshalls aboard. Whilst other aspects of the marshall programme are understandably classified I believe that aspect was well publicised.

Whether or not that's still the case I don't know and is also I'm sure "classified."

Nail on the head ACA856. Goes to show how brainless these guys are! Then again, maybe there were 6 sky marshalls. It helps make up the load factors for show :E

smokers
 

"maybe there were 6 sky marshalls" - I hope so for the safety of other people not smoking.

"perhaps the KLAS smoker did not joke about attempting to light his shoelaces" - true, it was a large pale-white woman who could not wait for a smoke 2 hours into a 3 hour flight...and burst in to tears when the flight attendant told her she would be met by the authorities in KLAS. There goes the gambling money :-)

Turns out the guy was indeed on official business:

Qatari Diplomat Was to Meet Jailed Terrorist - CBS News

NBC is reporting that not only did the man make his offhand remark, he refused to give up his lighter.

I'm usually the first to complain about the idiocy of the TSA. But this response seems about right.

Go ahead, make your criticisms, your hindsight is 20/15.....

Now maybe they'll share a cell.

no disrespect intended
 

I wasn't discounting any of the "explosive" past that the Uk has endured. I've lived in the UK throughout childhood and shuttled between the U.S. and family near Manchester and London. In fact, was in Stockport during the Manchester IRA bombing. Went back there last summer to view the famous "red mail box" and glad it was left there! And hadn't been there since the revitalization of the centre, now filled of course with shopping WAGs..

Also used to take the Soiutheast line to Greenwich (yeah before DLR, sigh), and the Docklands explosion site was visible in the distance.

These things are old history in the UK, but the reason the U.S. is probably reacting this way is it's a newer phenomenon, we are their prime target right now with the UK and it's just too recent to have become relaxed about it yet, as a law enforcement concept or within those on the airplanes who see strange things happening.

So folks are edgy.

No. (#) 2.


Or, if you're in London's Underground and of a dusky appearance doing nothing very much out of the ordinary, 5 of the Met's finest firing into your head at 50cm range. Or something like that.

Give me a break, Magplug. Badly-trained trigger-happy thugs masquerading as law-enforcement officers and ****-scared of their own shadows exist in most countries in the world including the USA and Britain.

Try carrying a parcel with a table leg in it down a London Street.

One of the reason why we don't want cops with guns in the UK , is we have seen what the armed ones are capable of, and they are supposed to be the elite.

You got it right, there, Fug