BA London-Riyadh Flight Canceled

[Ranger One]

There was an interesting letter in 'The Independent' a couple of days ago, from a passenger who was on the cancelled Riyadh flight, describing how the cancellation was conducted:

Sir: Having experienced the armed police raid on Wednesday's BA flight to Riyadh I think that the police and BA must be pleased that the story appears to have been subsumed by the news of the cancelled transatlantic flights.

Being held at gunpoint for three hours in an airline departure lounge is not an everyday occurrence in Britain, thankfully. I am sure that the action was in our interest as passengers and in the pursuit of flight safety and the war on terror. However, one cannot get away from the suspicion, planted by the police, that the whole exercise was exactly that, an exercise.

The departure lounge was surrounded by uniformed armed officers. A plainclothes officer said he was from Special Branch and that we were to remain seated and not to use mobile phones and that trips to the toilet were to be under escort. He then explained that sniffer dogs were going to be deployed and that we would be searched and then questioned individually. There were around 30 officers present, all wearing flak jackets, and half were visibly armed.

Arab passengers were questioned at greater length than Europeans. When I was questioned I asked the officer the reason for the action and was told, "It was routine sir, we have done it to a number of airlines." After processing we were sent to a hospitality lounge and told that the flight was cancelled.

Having now arrived back in Riyadh, thanks to Saudi Airlines, minus my luggage, I feel insulted and angry. If there was a terrorist threat why can't the police admit it? Why treat people in this supercilious manner? Your reporter got "no comment" from Special Branch and BA were being "cagey". The aircraft had only 50-plus passengers - hardly a tempting terrorist target, but very convenient numbers for the police to handle.

Doesn't sound like an 'external threat' as a previous poster suggested. That doesn't call for holding all the pax in the lounge. More like they were looking for someone, couldn't be sure they hadn't found them, so cancelled the flight.

There definitely seems to be more going on than meets the eye... I agree with another poster: watch your backs.

I certainly don't subscribe to the writers notion that this was just an exercise.

BTW, good luck to any cop, Special Branch or otherwise, who tries to tell me I can't use my cellphone in such circumstances! I understand the reasoning, but this isn't a police state... yet.

R1