No charges were filed against the Muslim who tried to break into the cockpit of American Airlines flight out of New York. If he were Christian or Jew, he’d be behind bars. More sharia. – Pamela Geller Atlas Shrugged
Saudi passenger disrupts flight bound for Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS – Federal authorities are probing the actions of a Saudi Arabian man who tried to get into the cockpit of an American Airlines flight to here.
Indianapolis Airport police said Abdulaziz Mubarak Alshammari, 20, was pulled away from the cabin door by another passenger a half hour before Flight 1936 from New York to Indianapolis International Airport landed at about 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Alshammari, who said he is a student at the University of Indianapolis, appeared confused when flight attendants and police questioned him, according to a police report. Investigators photocopied a note Alshammari wrote in Arabic while on the plane.
Scott Hall, a spokesman for the University of Indianapolis, said the school has no record of Alshammari being a student there.
No charges were filed.
If I travelled halfway around the world by airplane (which I have done); going through timezones like it is going out of style; and probably sleeping very little… I can see myself guilty of what this person did. Which is absolutely nothing.
There are many examples of those in security doing something wrong; letting a tired / zombie traveller go because they grabbed the wrong door handle is not one of them.
And considering it appears he is nothing more than someone trying to become an illegal immigrant; attempting to classify them as a terrorist does nobody proud.
Nothing to see here folks, just some poor confused guy probably disoriented. If it had been a Japanese tourist it would have been unremarkable. The type that people living in Banff call “bear food” or “elk footballs”.
I hear you Gord, but no matter how tired and frazzled, there are some things you know not to do.
Good thing he didn’t
“Push the lever to open in emergency”
At 4,000 feet it will suck the polish off your shoes.
“And considering it appears he is nothing more than someone trying to become an illegal immigrant;” So much for security of keeping them out. He should have been held for immigration at least.
The USA builds a “Berlin Wall” along areas of the Mexican border (and want an electronic “Berlin Surveillance Wall” along Canadian border) to keep people out/Americans in. I guess because he was “a Saudi Arabian” it doesn’t matter. God forbid if he was a “… Christian or Jew, he’d be behind bars.”
I do not think he was suffering from jet lag. He was caught in a lie, Gord did not even comment on that. There is no indication that he was connecting from another flight. “Scott Hall, a spokesman for the University of Indianapolis, said the school has no record of Alshammari being a student there.” He was a liar, probably to immigration and security personal. All the while innocent people are groped and humiliated by security because of liars like him.
Hats off to the passenger who stopped him … he/she should get a free flight for acting responsible and for courage. I wonder what would have happened if there was an “air marshal” aboard…. would he had been shot? I wonder if he will be put on the “no fly list” … sorry, forgot he was “Muslim who tried to break into the cockpit …. “ not serious enough.
Relative of a Saudi prince? Phone call got made?
I bet a doughnut if It had been me, I’d be charged for sure. And held in the slammer, too. Confused or not, I’m quite sure they wouldn’t care a damn.
But then I’m a White guy, don’t fit the terrorist profile so its safe for them to go after me.
Which gives us all some indication just how insane things have become in the USA. Thanks Lefties.
Young Saudi male attempts to get into cockpit? Hmmm, where have I heard this story before? Any incomplete flying lessons in his past?
Not sure why my post got held.
From an aviation perspective, its not uncommon for passengers to get disoriented at the front of the cabin and, depending on aircraft type, mistake wardrobe doors or cockpit doors for washroom doors. My own hunch is that this took place on a single-aisle regional jet or narrowbody, where these things can be even more confusing. For someone who hasn’t flown much – and for the occassional overworked FA, these errors are not uncommon. Most people who travel lots will have seen these mistakes. Some of them may even have partaken in them while trying to retrieve their coats from the coat closets. It comes as no surprise to me that the captain of the flight didn’t press charges. It is a very common occurence. Some washroom doors, particularly of the sliding variety, can baffle first-time fliers. I have seen it first hand. They don’t look like doors. The cockpit door is typically the only door that does look like a door. If I was pilot-in-charge, I wouldn’t read much into it, let alone press charges.
Also, the article states his travel itinerary quite clearly. Riyadh-Doha-New York-Indianapolis. Depending on headwinds (this time of the year, the aircraft would be hitting some serious jetstreams over the North Atlantic, eastern Canada, the flights would clock in at around 1 hour for Riyadh-Doha, 14-15 hrs for Doha-NYC (depending on headwinds, congestion), and 1.5 hrs for NYC-Indianapolis. The flight, like most flights frm that region, would have taken off early am from Riyadh, and his minimimum check-in and transit times would be at least a combined 6 hrs (check in plus 2 legal transits – as opposed to illegal ones, where the time limit is considered to be too short to connect by the airline), probably more. Therefore by the time he got onto this jet (I suspect its a regional jet, given that I did not read anything about first class), he would have been on the road for around 24 hours when this incident would have occurred.
Fatigue in such cases can be a major contributing factor, since it often leads to spatial disorientation. I have seen it with flight attendents who have been out too late at night the previous night, especially when they aren’t familiar with the aircraft type.
FWIW, pressure differentials mean that its impossible to open an aircraft door inflight once the aircraft is pressurised. Furthermore, aircraft are pressurised to mimic eight thousand feet, therefore opening the door at four thousand feet will not affect the aircraft, though the noise may irritate passengers. It will not suck the paint off anything. An open door at forty thousand feet can cause catastrophic structural failure, but one would need superhuman strength to open the door at that height, given pressure differentials.
What his relationship with the university is, I don’t know. But as most passengers who have flown a lot will know, there is nothing unique about this incident from an aviation perspective. Not the first. Definitely not the last. People, even flight attendants, will be questioned, but charges are extremely unlikely.
I suspect the reason the filter stopped your last post “pilot” is because it magically caught your BS.
A muslim lies and because of a citizen, not a nazi TSA agent, luckily no one died. You can make up smoke screens all you want it doesn’t change the facts.
This guy should be in GITMO explaining himself not free to try again.
nothing to worry about … after all “The system worked.”
I have to agree with Gord and pilot on this one. Whereas he certainly bears investigation, his actions, including walking up and down the aisle of the airplane before making a lame attempt to open the cockpit door and subsequently being led passively to his seat are hardly consistent with a concerted attempt to breach the cockpit or aircraft security. Foreign travel can be disorienting even for experienced travelers, and even Saudi males can be out of their depth if traveling abroad, especially if it were for the first time. Investigate and go from there.
It was a test. The guy told the passenger he didn’t need the bathroom. He lied about being a university student. They know now that inflight and after flight security is as lax as ever for them. All they have to do is get on the plane.
If I tried that, I’d be in jail. Unless I could convince the “authorities” I was a muslim.
FREE,
Who he says he is has nothing to do with my post. The call to press charges for his opening the door is the pilot’s prerogative. He ‘owns’ the aircraft while it is in the air. What this fellow said/did on the ground is a separate matter. The ground authorities can charge him for that. But that has no real bearing on what took place in the aircraft and how it was handled. If the pilot felt there was a threat, he would have diverted to the nearest airfield and called law enforcement – no shortage of those along the typical flight path for that route. He determined that there was no threat and continued. That decision was based on precisely the same parameters I have listed above.
Theres nothing smokescreen about it, but the decision to press charges for opening the door would rely mostly on the pilot’s report and aircrew reports, and if they determine that this person was not a threat – which they apparently did- then it would be nigh near impossible to charge this fellow for it. Lying on the ground is a whole other ballpark. That has to be viewed independent of the incident on the aircraft.
I can appreciate the fact that this falls out of your area of expertise but that doesn’t make it any less true.
So pilot? Just another poor confused young Saudi? So riddle me this. Why must I be treated like a criminal when boarding a place from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg? I’ve never been confused as to where the washroom is located in relation to the cockpit, which is, you know, generally at the pointy end of the plane. Besides, jihad or no jihad, who the hell wants to die over Dryden?
Um, make that boarding a plane, of course.
Cudda been a confused traveler. Cudda been a lying terrorist. I’d find out before releasing him.
@pilot
an airport screener who allowed M. Atta et al to board the plane on Sept. 11 felt that it would be racist to exclude them despite suspicious behaviour … is there a possibility that the pilot/crew may have been swayed by fear of being accused of racism, muslimphobia?
I gotta agree with “pilot” and Gord….if this guy was a genuine terrorist he would have been totally imcompetant from “jet-lag” and fatigue…..perhaps that explains the “panty-bomber”s” inept attempt to detonate his underwear….
Re opening the door on an airliner….the doors are tapered/open from the inside, meaning opening would require force against the pressurization, take the interior surface area X the pressure per square inch and the result probably would aweight exceeding a small car….the inconvenient truth is if your were Superman… ya still could open the door because the handle would brak first…DUHH.
This event could well have been chalked up as a disorientation error, but the guy is Saudi MUSLIM … so that changes everything.
Those are the people who have a record of airplane terrorism and death …. we need to be extra vigilant with those people.
Yes it’s profiling and discriminating against a specific group, but who the hell cares, many of those people are homicidal maniacs who have sworn to kill us all.
He should have been charged and held. All Muslims are suspect …. there is a global jihad underway and we need to get a bigger dog in the fight.
When you fly/travel enough, you see these incidents all the time. The cockpit is sterile and secure – impossible to just wander. It is always locked, and there are very clear and strict rules governing the manner in which these doors can be unlocked inflight. It is virtually impossible for an unarmed passenger to force his way through under current security regulations.
Nor is the incident surprising, given that the forward area of small aircraft typically have 2-3 doors in close proximity.
The security and safety of passengers is the responsibility of the captain. If he determines that there was no threat, then the likelihood of successfully charging this fellow for the incident on the aircraft is close to zero. It seems to me as though he took precautions to be safe, but did not consider a major enough event to divert/involve law enforcement immediately.
These subtleties seem to be lost on most people here. Not the best-travelled lot, I take it.
@pilot: “Not the best-travelled lot, I take it.”
Yes, and also, they fear and hate Muslims.
Rizwan,
The pilot would not have known who was at the door unless the aircraft was equipped with closed-circuit TV. Cabin crew would have informed him if there was anything out of the ordinary.
Accusations of racism mean nothing to aircrews. Once the aircraft is airborne, safety becomes paramount, and all airlines will stand behind their crew in the event of any accusations of racism. It is a different environment, and passenger safety is THE most important factor, so even the slightest threat will be reported and acted on. Rest-assured that in the event of even the slightest percieved threat to even an individual passenger’s safety, aircrew will act, regardless of what accusations they may face.
…and “pilot” you and people of your ilk are the reason I no longer spend any of my money on air-travel, I’ll walk first.(as a matter of fact I have instead of being treated like the enemy)
Posted by: FREE at October 8, 2011 11:22 AM
k bye, you or your will not be missed
FREE,
Pilots have precious little to do with airport security or airfare prices.
But by all means, feel free to walk. You won’t get very far, which is a pity, because this world has a lot more to offer than just continental North America.
Pilot: I suspect that the half hour to travel to Indy would have been the nearest strip the American Airlines pilot could have landed. It may have taken longer to land anywhere else but Indy.
In the news article it states he was asked if he was looking for the washroom, and he shook his head. But it’s not known if he shook his head yes, or no.
You state in your commentary above @ 10.44 that the Saudi man opened the door, did you mean he tried to open the door? or he opened the door?
subtleties?
The man told the police he’s a student, the U of I doesn’t have any record of him. I recall some people being charged with telling the police untruths.
Another trial run. The last time this happened it was a rehearsal / intel run for the underwear bomber.
Pilot and Gord, I have a question.
Where in the article does it say he was suffering from jet lag … no indication of his direct flight from overseas, you just assumed he did. And if he was on flights for over 20 hours he knew all jets have washrooms at the sides of the aircraft, not the [front] cockpit door [to the best of my knowledge]. At least he was detained, if the piolet thaught nothing of event, why would he/she have him detained? I guess if it were you, you would not even reported it. This could easily be a test for the terrorists to pull off the next 911. Now they know, they just have to act like they have jet lag and they will not be questioned.
Second, you are completely ignoring that he lied to authorities; this is the thing I am concerned about. If you tried that with an immigration officer, no matter where you are in the world, you would be held for hours and not be released as fast as this person was. I would at least hold him for his lies … any international/immigration lawyers out there?
marc,
It also says that his command of English isn’t good. FWIW, words like ‘washroom’ are not all that common in some parts of the world. In some countries I’ve visited, I get a blank look when I ask for the washroom. The word ‘toilet’ is more common. Therefore his response does not surprise me. To top it off, on airplanes, there are no washrooms – only lavatories (according to signage). Hence my reluctance to read anything into it, especially based on my familiarity with flying.
If he was flying to Indy, he would have had many alternatives (diversionary airfields) in close vicinity. For small aircraft (turboprops/RJs) the number of alternatives would increase even more. An airport like Indianopolis faces issues of traffic, congestion, and weather patterns (wind direction can add flight time on approach. In a real emergency, diverting to a smaller airfield would involve lower risk parameters/give greater flexibility.
This is, however, conjecture, since we don’t know prevailing conditions or what was going through the captain’s head, but there are many things to consider in this situation, and with an RJ without mechanical issues, a landing at a relatively underused airport would make more sense than going into a hub and causing drama (clearing taxiways to ensure that the aircraft is isolated and doesn’t pose a threat to nearby aircraft). The best indication of it not being seen as a threat is the captain’s refusal to press charges.
he was probably just ‘offended’ in some way, so no charges…
Wausau, WI (WSAU) — A man was attacked on Wausau’s east side on Friday afternoon during a reported argument over religion. Witnesses to the attack in the 600 block of Jefferson Street say a man got out of his vehicle, accosted the victim and claimed he had criticized his Muslim religion. The victim denied it but was struck in the head with a tire iron. The attacker then escaped in his vehicle.
Wausau police say the victim knew the attacker but no arrest has been made as of yet. The attack remains under investigation
pilot >
“….because this world has a lot more to offer than just continental North America.”
If you have lots of money. Otherwise outside of western countries it’s pretty much one shithole after another.
The point about this story is the favourable treatment of Muslims by the TSA and other authorities, when in fact it is Muslims we are told by authorities that are the root of all modern day terrorism. Instead the TSA gropes and humiliates little white children, well endowed white women, and disabled veterans in wheelchairs.
BTW anyone heard anything about the Muslim Fort Hood terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan these days? Seems like another Muslim Terrorist non story overnight.
Are you suggesting his english isn’t good enough to understand the term “washroom” yet is good enough to understand reading an airline schedule? and to register as a student at the U of I? I’m guessing the language of instruction at the U of I is still english… I’d like to know what he wrote in arabic that the police made a copy of and I hope Pamela Geller follows up on this.
My experience has been that “w/c” or water closet / lavatory is used more often than toilet. And the pictograms on the doors help too. 😉
I’d prefer that a airplane making an hurried landing, lands at an airport with more emergency facilities rather than less… anyways it’s clear we’re of two different minds regarding this, and until further details are released I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere from here.
Crown Party,
Good questions.
The pilot would have reported the incident to airline control immediately under current SOPs since it is an ‘event’. Airline HQ could then provide him with advice on how to proceed, but ultimately, it is his call on how to proceed. Airline HQ can, however, contact ground authorities at the airport, and the police personnel would be there to escort this man off. It is a reportable incident, and ground authorities can investigate as they wish, but the charges would be based on the pilot’s report, and its pretty clear he didn’t consider it a major event/risk. To be clear, pilots HAVE TO report it. But they can also provide their own risk assessment of it, which in this case didn’t amount to much. Theres a differnece between an incident being reportable, and an incident being classified as a risk.
As for jet-lag, the routing he has used is a pretty common one for the South Asia/Middle East to the US/US midwest travellers.
With regard to him lying to immigration authorities – that is a separate issue. He can’t be charged for trying to open the airplane door because he lied to immigration authorities. I never said he should be let off scot free, but that investigation is independent. It has nothing to do with trying to wander into a cockpit.
Regarding toilet orientation, configurations vary on the basis of aircraft type. For instance, on a widebody (2 aisle – 767, 777, A330, A340, MD11) you will have more than a few lavatories that open towards the back of the aircraft. In other words, they are oriented in the same way as the cockpit. This is particularly true of lavatories near exit doors. In a 747 you can even have lavatories that open in the direction of the front of the aircraft. Therefore this argument that doors are to the side only is not true. Door orientation is based on aircraft type/configuration.
To put it in perspective, Riyadh-Doha is operated mostly by narrowbodies, where you would probably have two lavatories to the sides – behind a 2-2 or 3-3 seat configuration. However, on a 777 or an A340 (not sure if an A330 can fly the route without weight restrictions) which would have been used for the DOH-NYC flight, the seating configuration would be 3-3-3 or 2-4-2. On both aircraft, aft lavatories can face backwards – ie in the same way the cockpit door faces the cabin. Once in the US, he would have transferred again to a 2-2 or 3-3 configuration narrowbody, with lavatories on the side. Not sure if I ve put it across clearly, but cabin configurations can be very confusing and disorienting for passengers.
Here is a link to the Department of Homeland Security’s “See something say something” campaign.
“….Factors such as race, ethnicity, national origin, or religious affiliation alone are not suspicious.”
The point is – it is the GOVERNMENT that tells the public that Muslims are responsible for modern global terrorism. That is true of governments throughout the world that fight Islamic extremism and acts of terrorism in their countries and on their borders. Islamic terrorism has occurred in varying degrees of violence from India, through Thailand, Sudan, Philippines, Western Europe, Russia, the US and Canada.
Yet in practice it is European white people that are normally searched and harassed regularly by the TSA, while Muslim’s are routinely allowed to pass through security untouched & unfazed.
http://www.dhs.gov/files/reportincidents/see-something-say-something.shtm
Seems pretty simple to me. Nothing the guy did in the air rose to the level of a criminal offense; it could all be adequately explained by confusion.
Having said that, the possibility exists that it was some sort of probe by an Al Qaeda operative to test the level of security. The guy should be watched like a hawk from here on. If his bona fides do not check out, he should be sent back to the Magic Kingdom.
Actually, Knight99, I find Hong Kong and Singapore to be far superior in terms of amenities, shopping, food and technology to most ‘western’ cities. And cheaper too. Shitholes? Try Rome. Or Athens. Or Washington. Or Ottawa.
Of course, as someone who has travelled, I very much appreciate your staying at home. There are few things that make any seasoned travellers teeth grate than a North American accented nuisance walking around declaring how everything is better where he came from. You sound the type, so its best you stay in your Plato-esque cave. In fairness to you, the rest of the world is not, in fact, for everyone. I very much agree with your sentiment there. Its only for people who have the cojones and willpower to face obstacles and challenges. Definitely not for people who’ve been turned too soft by the monotony and ‘comfort’ of the western experience.
As for money – its true that travelling costs exorbitant amounts out of Canada, but that has more to do with this government’s protection of our ‘private’ airline than anything else. Not that I am complaining.
marc,
No, I am suggesting that the use of the term washroom isn’t quite as widespread as one would think. I am also suggesting that the bolt model used to lock doors on some aircraft can confuse passengers. I still won’t read much into it because some of dry-leased aircraft I flew actually use the word toilet. As for U of I and admission and whatnot, I will happily direct you to the legions of Chinese students in Canada whose english is not quite up to scratch.
‘Hurried’ landings are often difficult at high use hubs – Indianapolis is a major hub. It would not be easy. Given the absence of mechanical issues, a smaller regional airport would still make more sense because of clear taxiways, lower traffic and less inconvenience to other passengers. In these cases, you don’t really need emergency facilities, beyond a cop car. You can call out the fire crew, but they won’t have much to do in the absence of a mechanical issue. An emergency – if it was one – would bring Indianapolis airport to a halt. It would definitely take one active runway out of use for an extended period of time, causing knock on effects for others.
Many decades of business and personal travel and I feel proud to not being one to show my travel and or personal expertise on what happened; I guess I just did this.
However not knowing the facts there is no compunction to show my knowledge at this time, except to comment on the development of Islamphobia in the reporting and commenting.
What does provide some irony is the Muslim Brotherhood taking a page out of the same gender orientation handbook to develop the control and expansion of a society which is intolerant of any same sex identification.
How long before I am called homophobic? Cheers;
pilot >
I am currently an Air Canada Super Elite member and have been so for over 10 years. I have also lived much of my life all over the world, including many Muslim counties from the Middle East to SEA among others. Currently half my year’s residence is in Singapore as it has been for the last decade.
You can save the pompous sermon on what the world is really like.
Your statements here have been nothing short of an apologist and excuse maker for a proven Muslim liar and potential criminal long with the conduct of the TSA, with no further factual information than the people you claim to be ignorant and Islamophobic.
What the real Knight 99 said!!! (not the one quoting himself)
Super Elite, eh? How are you liking the new AE ‘enhancements’? Or the SQ experience versus the AC one? As shitholes go, AC’s Y cabin has quite the monopoly, eh? Funny how the shitholes have all produced far better airlines.
And a resident of Singapore to boot. What happened? Western countries not producing as much business anymore?
FWIW I am not an apologist for this fellow. He should face the flack for lying to TSA and whoever/whatever. But that is independent of the incident in the air.
I am however explaining the absence of charges against him for the incident in the air. That would have been the prerogative of the pilot-in-command who, as an SE would probably know, has nothing to do with TSA, and I am defending his conduct, since I would probably have done the same.
If hes lied about the rest, he should face the consequences. But what he did in the air was a non-event.
The man told the police he’s a student, the U of I doesn’t have any record of him. I recall some people being charged with telling the police untruths.
~marc in calgary
Nothing the guy did in the air rose to the level of a criminal offense; it could all be adequately explained by confusion.
~gordinkneehill
“Alshammari, who said he is a student at the University of Indianapolis…”
Lieing to the police is a felony and they let him walk.
People giving Alshammari the benefit of the doubt by saying he may have been “confused” on that flight after this lie about being a student at Indianapolis are anything but reasonable.
Oz,
True. If he lied, he should face the consequences. That said, he did enter the US at New York (probably JFK). He would have cleared customs and immigration control there, where his passport would be checked. He would have had some type of visa, or else he would have been denied entry.
The police can verify whether he is a student at the university in more than one way. They can call the university, or they can get in touch with the embassy that issued the visa. The police/DHS would have access to lots of information – buty a lot of it is confidential. The reporter who wrote the story, wouldn’t.
If he lied to the police, he will face consequences. When anyone is detained, the first thing the police checks is their right to be in the country. His visa would have been scrutinized and they would proceed accordingly.
This stuff is not rocket science. Its very run of the mill. If he has lied, there is no way in hell that he is going to get away scot-free. You can bet your last dollar people are investigating how he got to the US – the validity of his documents etc. Of course, that has nothing to do with the pilot’s handlng of the incident in the air.
pilot >
Yup Asian airlines are far superior to western, but that wouldn’t be the fault of western unions would it?
Let’s also not lose site of the fact that all the airlines including support technologies have their roots in western ingenuity, before we criticise too much.
As far as making money, it’s much bigger abroad only because of lack of local experience and honest initiative in most local SEA markets, Singapore aside.
The least energetic countries are the Muslim countries, period. Everyone wants’ to be boss, chief whatever the superior title yet very few want to do the legwork. Non Muslim Asians excel, save for the racial/ ethnic quotas as you find in Malaysia (Bumiputra) or Indonesia, Brunei etcetera………….
If hes lied about the rest, he should face the consequences. But what he did in the air was a non-event.
~pilot
The lies create a context for the”non-event in the air” and raise it to the level of a event.
It looks like ‘student at Indianapolis U’ wasn’t meant to be cover after the flight landed, it was meant to get him on the flight if asked why he was boarding.
A lie easily found out at customs, he likely wasn’t planning on the plane landing at all.
Over the years I have had many ‘conversations’ with ‘thruthers’.
One of the main points that I stress in relation to their ‘controlled demolition’ theory is that the experts,those who actually do controlled demoliions,are the ones that have the most credibility. The opinions from hundreds of other groups,including ‘pilots for 9/11’,should be taken with a grain of salt,sometimes a very large one.
In this case,I find myself siding with ‘pilot’,because of the above reason.Of course the young man should be scrutinized,but charged,no.
Having also travelled the world by air going through more than a couple of time zones and with my wife and small children, I do know how exhausting it can be, but I call rubbish on the claim that this was just an honest mistake. As for the other claim that it is easy to confuse the doors, I again call rubbish. Does this mean he was a terrorist, of course not. However there clearly is more than meets the eye and I agree that proper security was clearly lacking. It is fine to grope little old white grandmothers and small children in the name of security, but heaven forbid action be taken against this Muslim. Get real.
Knight 99,
Unions are to blame yes, but lets not forget good old Milton, who spun off profitable operations to pad his bank account. ACs current plight has as much to do with unions as it does with inept management and good old greed.
I am not criticising the west. I am just pointing out that describing the rest of the world as shitholes is a gratuitous and unneccessary attack. The west is the world leader in most spheres. No question. Well, not in airline service, but innovation, definitely. Unfortunately, innovation in ‘western’ airline service now means a race to the bottom. But I digress.
Way too off-topic of course,
@ Davenport. With good reason for fourteen hundred years.
What Gord and pilot say seems to make sense, but this fellow better not be getting a free pass on the other inconsistencies while the rest of us are getting felt up every time we fly.
Alshammari definitely should be charged.
It’s up to the DA to decide if it merits a trial and if it does, a court can decide if it merits a conviction.
What Alshammari did is not in question.
Only his motives for doing what he did are.
Motives are not for the police to decide.