FBI and TSA Involved in Delta Flight 1824 - SEMTEX anyone???

FBI and TSA Involved in Delta Flight 1824

Seems a flight from Orlando to Atlanta was stopped from leaving after turning back fron taxi. The pilot stated that'Ladies and gentlemen, we have been informed that there is “a credible security risk with this aircraft and we are returning to the terminal"

Seems more than a dozen individuals were detained after searches of luggage revealed traces, hits, of SEMTEX. Dogs and a TSA Bomb Appraisal Officer at Orlando International verified in multiple tests that it was positive.

Annie Jacobsen, an author, contacted the TSA for more information and it seems that after a luggage search there were other strange items among the luggage. A TSA spokesman stated

"We ID'd twelve passengers at the checkpoint with suspicious items. Yes, there was a positive hit, I can't get into the level of detail of what or what wasn't a match. We immediately closed two checkpoint lanes and called in a TSA Bomb Appraisal Officer who determined, 'yes, these are suspicious.' We called in three TSA canine teams to come to the check point and the FBI was called as well… The FBI took over from there. I can't comment on the FBI."

www.theaviationnation.com...

What is going on with airline security? Why is there no FBI release? and what about the SEMTEX??? what can give a multiple false positive with machines, dogs and humans????

Mod Edit: External Source Tags – Please Review This Link.

[edit on 11/9/2007 by Mirthful Me]

Here is a little more information and a link ot the articles. Sorry about that. Seems that they were worried about vaseline leaking so the contents were emptied, along with finding hydrogen peroxide in large quatities. Another dry run??? They were also all flying to Saudi Arabia.

www.theaviationnation.com...

www.homelandsecurityus.com...

According to the information developed during the course of this investigation, there were at least nine – and perhaps as many as 12 individuals of Middle Eastern origin who were reportedly traveling from Orlando, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia, and then scheduled to catch a flight from Atlanta to their final destination of Saudi Arabia. It was verified that of the 12 people, there were at least six men and three women traveling together.

During a routine test of the baggage, Transportation Security Administration authorities ran the luggage through x-ray detection and then conducted an explosive trace detection of the bags belonging to the 9 Middle Eastern passengers. The x-ray of the bags found questionable items inside the luggage, and the explosive trace detection tests resulted in a “positive hit” for explosives – specifically, SEMTEX, an explosive commonly used by Islamic terrorists. To be certain, however, the luggage was test no less than 4 times by four different machines and operators. Each time, a “positive hit” for explosives was registered. “The presence of explosive traces was ‘no mistake,’” stated one federal source talking to this agency on condition of anonymity.

Due to the multiple independent “hits” for traces of SEMTEX, TSA authorities emptied the luggage in a secured area, and were astonished by what they found. Authorities found 3 jars of Vaseline duct taped together to make one large cylinder. An inspection of this Vaseline-filled cylinder determined that someone had previously removed the Vaseline and replaced it back into the containers, something that was proven by air pockets left within the containers. Based on a thorough inspection of all the luggage belonging to these Middle Eastern passengers, authorities also found multiple strands of electrical wire with the ends stripped of the insulation, thus exposing the copper wire, small eyeglass screw drivers, clocks, cocoa butter, 2 tubs of butter, batteries of various sizes and types, a computer laptop, and multiple bottles of hydrogen peroxide – 144 ounces in all.

www.theaviationnation.com...

[edit on 11-9-2007 by esdad71]

Mod Edit: External Source Tags – Please Review This Link.

[edit on 11/9/2007 by Mirthful Me]

Definitely sounds like another dry run, to test the system.

Hopefully they'll be able to determine what group these people are tied to.

hmm very interesting. I didn't even know that this had happened. Now it certainly would seem that perhaps this could have been a test run of sorts, who knows....

I just can't see why they or anyone would have so much vaseline and hydrogen peroxide for casual use along with the list of other things found.

and on a side note, why is there always a Florida connection?

there is no mainstream media because the US gov't does not want a panic. I laugh at the warmongering that people state occurs when in fact we are desperately trying each day to protect our borders and our citizens but at the same time by the US of old and accept the poor, tired and criminal. This, as the case in SC, is now in the hands of the FBI.

This is interesting.....3 bottles of hydrogen peroxide and butter? with stripped wire.
Could that even make any kind of explosive? Maybe just a test run like someone already said. But that many possible hijackers on board the same plane does not make sense.

They are testing to see what will be searched, such as perishables as opposed to something that is sealed/resealed. These are dry runs. if this one was revealed, how many others are occuring that are bieng covered up.

I don't want to go on a rant here but we are jsut as vulnerable now as we were pre 9/11 with airlines, security and safety. You are no safer today then if you flew that morning 6 years ago.

Now, could this be connected....

www.usatoday.com...

Airport security officers around the nation have been alerted by federal officials to look out for terrorists practicing to carry explosive components onto aircraft, based on four curious seizures at airports since last September.
The unclassified alert was distributed on July 20 by the Transportation Security Administration to federal air marshals, its own transportation security officers and other law enforcement agencies.

It cited various types of rehearsals conducted by terrorists before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon; the July 7, 2005, London subway bombings; the Aug. 2, 2006, London-based plot to blow up trans-Atlantic flights using liquid explosives and the 1994 Bojinka plot in the Philippines to blow up multiple airliners over the Pacific Ocean

Why do we think that they would never again use planes? Are we so concerned with homegrown terror that the threat is again there without us knowing. I still say that Flight 587 was downed, there is security footage from a tool booth that shows an 'explosion' and then the plane going down, jsut like Reid attempted. Look into the man who did not get on the 9/11 planes, and check his links in Canada. If we would have released that another terror attack occured so soon, the airline industry would have been DONE. Look into that conspiracy folks.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

on 9/11, 3 towers were downed, and that is all we question. Flight 587 and 93 are the cover ups.


[edit on 11-9-2007 by esdad71]

this happened a few days ago at Oakland airport as well: www.insidebayarea.com...

i was actually on a flight that landed later that same day, but i didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. also, oakland airport has had two security breaches that i know of within the last few months where someone has ran right past security (and got away both times!). as far as i know fbi was not involved with the security breaches. which makes me concerned that they did involve themselves with this last bomb threat, and the one mentioned in this thread.

they definitely know something and haven't told us about it! but what's new, right?

I dont know what this has to do with security or anything but I flew to Oregon a few weeks ago and brought my Playstation no search or nothing..... I was thinking that I had to be searched because I have a modded ps2 with led lights and all which for lack of a better term looks like a bomb to me. But when I was coming back the guy said he had to take everything out of my backpack and put it individually and I said ok, and was alright with it. And I'm just wondering why there is a difference between airports, is it the skill of the operator??? Or is it just too lazy to search?

I think this is a viable concern. If people are going to be stupid enough to carry suspicious looking items to draw attention, then i say, off with their heads or at least have them line up and make a visit with the FBI officers.
They definatly deserve it.
I think this is a cause for concern, Esdad, and i'm glad they were caught.

What i object to are things that do not make any sense which happen with certain airlines, then, there's no follow up, or its just a suspicion, or someone coughed or someone got up to go to the bathroom too many times, things like that just drive me WILD. Profiles of people sweating (Please) being possible terrorists, well, i guess you get my point.

As for the idiots who board a plane with wires hanging from their sleeves or with unidentifiable juice, or creams that smell like fosforous, well, i say those people should be checked out thoroughly. After all, they're supposedly there to protect the public.

I hope my 81 year old mom makes it with my new super duper lap top she's bringing me October 5.
I'll be heartbroken if they take it away from her.

Originally posted by CaptGizmo
This is interesting.....3 bottles of hydrogen peroxide and butter? with stripped wire.
Could that even make any kind of explosive? Maybe just a test run like someone already said. But that many possible hijackers on board the same plane does not make sense.

Perhaps a napalm-like device.

What's troubling is the bit about two men having vaseline on their upper torso. Why do that only for a dry run?

Nore troubling is this

www.startribune.com...


and this one never heard from again

www.local6.com...

and this bust

www.news4jax.com...

Orlando is a large target because of Disney. Imagine hijacking a plane and crashing it or detonating it over Disney, Sea World, Universal, etc.... Flight path and line, and of those parks....you also have CENTCOM real close by air in Tampa.

This is a test to response, reaction and capture. Like a drug dealer sending 4 boats knowing he will lose 3. However, it is the one that gets through that counts.

[edit on 11-9-2007 by esdad71]

I've always worried about when I'm at a sporting event such as a baseball game, football game, soccer match, nascar race, even a soccer match (although no one at one in america ).... I mean I went to California Speedway 2 weeks ago and there were probably 50k if not more people stuffed onto the 1 mile straightaway.... Can you imagine a plane going into that?

A lot of these strange materials that have shown up like vaseline and cheese tied up with wire etc. have similar properties to explosives, they are complex organic substances and can set off the machines that detect explosives.

AS far as the vasoline, it is a matter of seeing what is reported and noticed. This is casing 101 and the FBI/DHS know this. However, if you were to change security even more, people would complain more than they do now. Same as security at sporting events. I understand a beer is 10 bucks but you bought tickets. Let your self and your baggage be searched, if not, go home.

What we feel is an inconvienence is a service that is provided while we have the 'privlege' to fly or attend an event. It is not free and we could survive without it.

What I dont understand is why you have to take your shoes off and put them on the xray? Is it so nothing is hidden in the rubber or is it to detect explosives? Obviously you can get explosives through the metal detector.... So what is stopping you from putting explosives lets say in your t-shirt or in your jeans? Am I missing something?

If it was a "credible" security risk...

why was the risk allowed to continue as far as getting the plane on the tarmac to taxi down the runway? It should have never been allowed on the plane... at least with all the checks, double checks, triple checks, etc.

More fearmongering, IMO. Something doesn't add up.

I posed some questions here about the source of this info
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Are they a credible source? I haven't heard of them before so I don't know and was hopingf someone could help.

Also why was the passenger with the 2 passports with the same picture but different information on them released by the FBI?

Originally posted by racerzeke
What I dont understand is why you have to take your shoes off and put them on the xray? Is it so nothing is hidden in the rubber or is it to detect explosives? Obviously you can get explosives through the metal detector.... So what is stopping you from putting explosives lets say in your t-shirt or in your jeans? Am I missing something?

Being forced to take your shoes off--like not being able to take ordinary liquids on planes, and putting carry-on personal items in a clear sac--are simply conditioning. You are being humiliated and treated as less-than-human. without any dignity, so that you understand--and learn to comply with--the real power, i.e., the state.

The ostensible reason for the shoes was that mad scheme where an English converted muslim terrorist had a bomb in his shoe and was trying to light the fuse when caught. Reid IIRC was his name.

But it's all really about conditioning the public to accept these ridiculous affronts so that you'll be docile and unquestioning in the face of irrational authoritarianism. And guess what, it works.

Originally posted by esdad71
there is no mainstream media because the US gov't does not want a panic. I laugh at the warmongering that people state occurs when in fact we are desperately trying each day to protect our borders and our citizens but at the same time by the US of old and accept the poor, tired and criminal. This, as the case in SC, is now in the hands of the FBI.

no, there is no media because they don't want you to think there is a REAL terrorist threat here at home. (this would help the Repubs and not the Dems) it is all about politics with the media...always.