easyJet flight 3246 from Ljubljana, Slovenia to London-Stansted diverted to Cologne, Germany Saturday evening because passengers told crew that three men were discussing “terrorist matters” on the flight. One of the men even had a book “with a sniper rifle on the cover.”
Credit: FlightRadar24.com
Here’s what we know:
- These were British businessmen returning to London after a work trip
- 17 passengers were questioned
- No explosives were found
- An explosion did occur: authorities blew up a backpack belonging to one of the men because it contained “potentially suspicious cables” (much like my laptop bag does)
On arrival in Cologne, “all 151 passengers were evacuated from the Airbus 319 aircraft using emergency slides” injuring 9 in the process.
In the three hours after the diversion 17 flights headed for Cologne were diverted, 2 departing flights were cancelled and 20 more were delayed.
Passengers were forced to overnight in Cologne, and only some received their checked luggage.
The three men are still under investigation for suspicion that they intend to commit “a serious violent crime that could have jeopardized the state” (because what we’re worried about here is jeopardy to The State, natch).
This should serve as a warning, I suppose, not to say “terrorist” or “bomb” when you’re on a plane. Those are the modern day equivalent of shouting “hi!” to your friend Jack at the airport.
I’m reminded of the economist arrested last year suspected to be a member of the al-Gebra movement and carrying weapons of math instruction. Of course,
This just underscores the idiocy of “see something, say something.” As Bruce Schneier often says, when you encourage amateurs to do security you get amateur security.
“This just underscores the idiocy of “see something, say something.” As Bruce Schneier often says, when you encourage amateurs to do security you get amateur security.”
This assumes there actually ARE security professionals — at least in sufficient numbers to protect civil aviation. In reality, all terrorist plots of late have either been discovered in advance by actual security professionals sitting behind a computer screen or stopped by passengers during the attempted act. The reality is that once you’re in an airport or on a plane, amateur security is the only security you’ve got.
@Justin so what’s your point? You skewer the people onboard and then conclude with that’s all you got at the end of the day? Ok…
Misleading video on the A319 – it initially appears to be a United jet.
And yet ISIS took a down a plane with what looked like an innocent can of soda.
I can’t imagine how much trouble people would be in if they didn’t investigate claims of possible terrorism. There are terrorists who fly under the radar, sure, but then the Manchester bomber gave signs he was a danger. Officials can’t ignore signs, even if some of them will end to be nothing.
Obviously, this outcome was absurd — there was no actual terror threat — but we still don’t know what these men said that made the other passengers, and then the crew, alarmed. Given what’s gone on in the UK the past few months, I could see how you might want to use some common sense when discussing terrorism while onboard an aircraft to the UK.
Where did a I skewer the people on board? I think the quote is off target because it assumes there are security professionals … what we have is pseudo professionals acting on amateur intelligence gathering.
Southern Rail, which serves London and surrounding areas, runs a campaign “see it, say it, sorted”. While the objective is laudable, it can & will lead to false positives. Are the security agencies ready for the flood?
It’s going to be an imperfect situation no matter how we try and protect against terrorism.
It’s easy to mock the situation after the fact but I’d like to know what everyones plan is to prevent potential plots, especially mid-air.
We criticize TSA and Air Marshall’s (sometimes with good reason), now we’re mocking passengers. Who’s left on a plane to notice potential problems. You can’t say flight attendants because we have criticized them too.
I lived close enough to hear the Boston Bombings. Who knows if maybe some lives could have been saved if someone had notice them leaving bags behind. There is only so many cops around. Oh, and we lambaste them too.
Why not rely on the empathy offered by emotional support animals to sort out would-be terrorists? Fieldwork will be required to find the ideal animal for this, but I’d urge an early look at vampire bats, for their legendary incorruptibility. Pavlovian conditioning at feeding time alone should ensure the animals are eager to hang upside down within the existing body scanning hardware, waiting.
I think Gary was trying emphasize that there a lot of people out who think they know something about something and really know nothing about everything and they hear 5 seconds of a conversation and turn and twist what is said it repeat so off base you think they just got out of a mental institution. That may be what happened here or it may be that the person was really on to something.
Whatever the case we do have to watch we say in public or on public transportation because it can so easily be misunderstood.
I have also worked with people who were so anti gun that they could not see straight and had no problem condemning guns. Funny thing was we worked directly for U.S. Air Force who’s sole mission was bomb thing in oblivion and I told the person hypocritical they were one day. My point there people out who just have skewed opinions about things and something that is nothing in reality is WW5 TO THEM.
20 years ago I read novel while flying to Belgium and back. Today I would not read that same novel on publc transportation. The novel was about LRP’s (Long Range Patrols in Vietnam).
Innocent Travellers need to be smarter about what they talk about.
In Israel if you leave bag on your seat in a bus to go to the toilet, when come back you have 5 people searching looking for explosives. Seriously I know a gal who left her bag at a bus stop ran be behind the weeds to pee, when she came the police were there blowing up her bag.
Bottom line I would rather have my flight diverted because of nothing than to be dead or have wife or daughter killed.
Seems that the auThorities handled the situation perfectly. NotwithstandingTLiT’s slanted version of events, misleading headline and general elitist Monday- morning quarterbacking.
Wonder why those suspicious-looking cables weren’t more carefully examined at the Ljubljana airport. When I’ve travelled from Ljubljana my hand luggage has been carefully screened and searched. I suspect the backpack that was blown up had also been satisfactorily screened and searched. What a waste!
Those of us who speak languages other than English are sometimes eyed suspiciously by monolingual Anglophones, especially when we’re departing from East European airports like Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade, Budapest, Prague, etc. I pity the poor Arabic speakers, even those dressed in western clothes.
I want the security people to play it safe, but I do wish amateurs would realize that they are not endowed as was Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot.