Humiliation at 33,000 feet: Top British architect tells of terror 'arrest

[cal04]

Humiliation at 33,000 feet: Top British architect tells of terror 'arrest'
To the applause of fellow passengers, the Jewish designer was escorted from a New York flight as a potential bomber. Because, he tells Sophie Goodchild, of his holiday tan

Seth Stein is used to jetting around the world to create stylish holiday homes for wealthy clients. This means the hip architect is familiar with the irritations of heightened airline security post-9/11. But not even he could have imagined being mistaken for an Islamist terrorist and physically pinned to his seat while aboard an American Airlines flight - especially as he has Jewish origins.

Yet this is what happened when he travelled back from a business trip to the Turks and Caicos islands via New York on 22 May. Still traumatised by his ordeal, the 47-year-old is furious that the airline failed to protect him from the gung-ho actions of an over-zealous passenger who claimed to be a police officer. He has now instructed a team of top US lawyers to act for him.

The London-based interiors guru, whose clients have included Peter Mandelson and the husband-and-wife design team Suzanne Clements and Ignacio Ribeiro, said he felt compelled to speak out to protect other innocent travellers from a similar experience.

"This man could have garrotted me and what was awful was that one or two of the passengers went up afterwards to thank him," said Mr Stein. He has since been told by airline staff he was targeted because he was using an iPod, had used the toilet when he got on the plane and that his tan made him appear "Arab".


http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article1777847.ece

[Schema Thing]

1. I hope he sues them out of the sky

[Eric J in MN]

2. His lawsuit should be against the guy who strangled him and...

...whatever agency he really works for (TSA?)

I don't see where the airline did something wrong.

[yellowcanine]

8. They told the guy to go back to his seat and then stood by while he

put another passenger in a headlock. Damn right the airline is liable.

[Eric J in MN]

9. I don't see where it says that any airline employees watched...

...one man choke another.

The TSA officer(?) told the crew he was suspcious of a passenger, and they said that they will look into it and he should sit down. Seems reasonable to me.

[yellowcanine]

10. According to the Independent, the crew "looked on."

"In Mr Stein's case, he was pounced on as the crew and other travellers looked on." - from the article in the Independent.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article1777847.ece

TSA? I haven't seen any evidence that this guy was anyone but a busy body. Should not the airline crew have asked for some ID from him?

[uppityperson]

3. k&r

[madrchsod]

4. his website

http://www.sethstein.com/
Seth Stein Architects ya he`s a terrorist..

[silverweb]

5. And the "cop" lied about who he was, on top of it.

"In a twist to the story, Mr Stein has since discovered that there is only one Michael Wilk on the NYPD's official register of officers, but the man retired 25 years ago. Officials have told the architect that his assailant may work for another law enforcement agency but have refused to say which one.

This is just disgusting. Once the captain had checked out and cleared Stein, the flight attendants should have intervened to keep the hotdog officer impersonator OFF him and told the stupid SOB to sit down, shut up, and mind his own goddamned business.

I hope Stein sues the whole fucking lot of them for everything they're worth. Unfortunately, he probably won't be allowed to.

:grr:

[Peace Patriot]

6. Welcome to BushWorld!

THROW DIEBOLD, ES&S AND ALL ELECTION THEFT MACHINES INTO 'BOSTON HARBOR' NOW!

BUST THE MACHINES--VOTE ABSENTEE THIS NOVEMBER!

If enough people do it--if everybody who despises the Bush Junta (60% to 70% of the American people) votes by AB this fall--the reign of these diabolical machines will be OVER.

Then, and only then, will we be able to start real reform--and restore sanity, tolerance, decency, lawfulness, justice, order, competence, truthfulness, accountability and disinterested public service in our government.

See my recent posts on the Absentee Ballot protest at
(What do you expect from the Diebold Congress?)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2851762
(Diebold is WHY Congress is so bad)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2854648
(Diebold 'smoking gun' in GA! Vote Absentee this fall!)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2855386

[sam sarrha]

7. they enter the info off the absentee ballots into the machines..!!