12 Asian Men Taken off NW Flight Because They Used Cellphones?

[leftchick]

I am trying to piece this story together here. A US Marshall on board the flight alerts the Captain because 12 guys are exchanging cellphones and yapping on them. Also known as "acting strangely".
This is just too bizarre.....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060824/ap_on_re_eu/netherlands_airplane_diverted

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Prosecutors on Thursday interrogated 12 men who were handcuffed and taken off a U.S. airliner in Amsterdam because U.S. air marshals and the crew believed they were acting suspiciously, a spokesman said.

<snip>

A U.S. government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, said that crew members and air marshals observed the passengers attempting to use cell phones and passing cell phones back and forth while the airliner was taking off.

"It was behavior that average passengers wouldn't do," the official said.

Passengers on the diverted flight gave varying accounts.

:eyes:

[MADem]

1. Some, not all, were Asian that we know, right now

And they were apparently behaving in concert in suspicious fashion: The Bombay, India-bound Northwest Airlines flight turned around over German air space Wednesday and returned to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport after a group of passengers aroused suspicion by using their mobile phones following take-off, officials said....A U.S. government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, said that crew members and air marshals observed the passengers attempting to use cell phones and passing cell phones back and forth while the airliner was taking off.

"It was behavior that average passengers wouldn't do," the official said.

Passengers on the diverted flight gave varying accounts.

The Algemeen Dagblad newspaper quoted Nitin Patel of Boston, who sat behind the men in business class, as saying, "I don't know how close we were, but my gut tells me these people wanted to hijack the airplane."....A third, who identified herself only as Alpa, told AP Television News that some of the men appeared to be of South Asian ethnicity.....

[Rosemary2205]

10. Why a US airmarshal on flight from Amsterdam to India?

Gives a whole new meaning to the world's policeman.

Edit - Sorry, this is supposed to be to the OP.

[MADem]

16. US air carrier, perhaps? Two leg flight? NT

[Lerkfish]

2. right. I would never hand a a friend or family member a cell phone

so they could also talk the mutual friend on the other end. That would never happen. How suspicious it would be of me. I can see the conversation now.


Beta: hey, mom! we're all on the plane now, we got here ok! we're excited! you wanna talk to Theta? ok, I'm handing the phone to Theta now.
Theta: hey, Aunt Delta! cousin Beta got the seat right next to me! he got the window seat but oh well. No, yeah, everything is great. Excuse me, Auntie, a flight engineer just threw me on the ground. ow, now he's bending my arm behind me....gotta go now!

[MADem]

17. I've never seen "people" using phones during takeoff

And I fly a LOT. Occasionally, you might see the odd single individual trying to push the "turn off your cell phone" window, but not a dozen people who appear to know each other. I have never seen a dozen people all ignoring the request of the flight crew to NOT use the devices while in the air, which is an SOP announcement on all airlines...Assuming this bit of the story is correct: ...attempting to use cell phones and passing cell phones back and forth while the airliner was taking off...

[dipsydoodle]

3. Seems to have dropped out of UK news totally

I'd otherwise have given you further links.

Your link said :
"A U.S. government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, said that crew members and air marshals observed the passengers attempting to use cell phones and passing cell phones back and forth while the airliner was taking off."

That's complete crap. Most of our cellular phones are camera phones - people are always handing their 'phones around for others to see their stored still pictures and videos. Only way for the airlines to stop that would be to ban 'phones in the cabin area.

Chances are that the whole bunch of them are innocent of any guilt other than "travelling while looking Asian" - hardly surprising on a flight to India.

[rman]

4. "sensitive nature of the subject"

Not so sensitive that we aren't told various details - such as the fact that air marshals were involved, but sensitive enough that we aren't allowed to know who the govt official is who knows US air marshals were involved.
Is it just me thinking this is a bit odd?

[Kailassa]

5. What's the bet one took a photo up someone's skirt

and the rest were just having a perv.

Or they may have innocently been taking it in turns
to say goodbye to their mama.

If they were planning a hijacking they'd hardly be that obvious about it.
This is just proves the governments are being successful in their efforts
to keep us terrified and make us afraid of asians and arabs.

[leftchick]

6. note it was a US Air Marshall

who started this BS.

[Crayson]

13. I heard they had guitar cases...

... got a cell phone call.
... then they all cheered.

My first guess: the got a gig !
^_^



Counterterrorists first guess:
They phone is probably not a phone.
And the guitar not a guitar.
And the drink not a drink.
And since he can't understand the language therefor it's bound to be about blowing up the plane.

People working for security have a paranoid tendency.

[Mortos]

7. South Asia

Includes India and Pakistan. Your header made me think these were central Asian people. I find it strange that people using cell phones would be considered suspicious behavior but if these people were brown skinned and from India or Pakistan then it makes more sense that air marshalls would over-react. If it was a group of teen aged white girls using phones I doubt seriously anything would have happened as a result but the bush administration has everyone so worked up and fearful of "Islamic Fascists" that this type of thing is bound to happen more often as nervous, scared ignorant passengers and crews look for and create "suspicious behavior".

Here is Wikipedia's definition of South Asia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asia

[dipsydoodle]

14. You need to remember

that European and Australian uses of the word "Asian" refer to areas which may differ from those refered to by the USA. In Europe - Asian would mean Indian, Pakistani or someone from Africa whose family was Indian in origin - probably a Hindu.

[GeorgeGist]

8. Maybe it isn't true elsewhere...

but cell phone use is barred on US airlines. Apparently out of concern that cell phones might interfere with navigation. That said, I'd be quite nervous if a group of passengers suddenly started using them on a plane I was flying in.

[intaglio]

9. Some more info

This from NDTV an indian channel
http://www.ndtv.com/topstories/showtopstory.asp?slug=All+12+detained+in+NW+flight+Mumbai+born&id=20111&category=National
quotes
All 12 detained in NW flight Mumbai born

/snip

Meanwhile, the allegations against the detainees are unclear. The Dutch justice minister has said that the detentions are not related to terrorism.

/end quotes

WTF lets review that "The Dutch justice minister has said that the detentions are not related to terrorism."

[MADem]

18. Gee, thank you--that explains up a LOT; clarifying rticle.

They were assholes who didn't follow flight crew directions. And they weren't teens on a lark, they were adults. They were, in essence, jerks:

According to MEA sources, the detained men are said to be largely in their 20s and 30s.

Suspicious behaviour

The flight with 149 people on board was turned back on Wednesday and escorted by F16s over German skies to Schiphol airport.

Some eyewitnesses reported that the suspicious passengers were using mobile phones and passing them around despite orders by US marshals on board not to.

Some say they even refused to listen to crewmembers who asked them to fasten their seat belts.

[Crayson]

11. Welcome to the cell phone age!!

Most of Asia ist cellphone crazy !!

Passing around cell phones with pictures on them (the netherlands are quite pictoresque) is USUAL behavior.
I mean just look at your own kids!

This whole scare reminds me more and more of communist witch hunts some time ago...

This whole crazyness has now a life of it's own and won't be easily stopped.
I certainly hope this stays on the US continent only.

As for me i won't set foot on US ground for a loooong time, be it earth, ship or plane.
Same idiocy starts in Europe too and we have all hands full fighting it.

[intaglio]

12. Yet more

Forbes 40 minutes before this post http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2006/08/24/ap2970818.html

[leftchick]

15. no terrorist threat yet they are still under arrest?

<snip>

The interrogation of 12 men who were removed from a Northwest Airlines flight after they aroused the suspicions of air marshals and crew produced no evidence of terrorism, the Justice Ministry said Thursday.

Flight NW0042 to Bombay, India, returned to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on Wednesday escorted by Dutch fighter jets, and the 12 were questioned and arrested.

"So far there are no signs that this was a terrorist threat," said ministry spokeswoman Judith Sluiter.

She declined to say why the men remained under arrest, and the investigation was continuing. Authorities have three days to bring the suspects to court or release them. They were held overnight at a detention center at the airport.


unbelievable!

Thank you for the link and welcome to DU!

:)

[Hemperor]

19. im sorry, i dont understand where you are coming from

they violated a regulation (using cellphones on a plane once the direction to turn them off has been given)... so they were arrested and brought in for questioning? why is this bizzare? and why does the fact they were asian matter? do you think a flight from amsterdam to india would be filled with racists?

[Quantess]

20. Exactly. See post #9.

[intaglio]

21. Last Updates from me on this

First from "The Hindu" about 50 minutes ago http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200608242201.htm
quote New Delhi, Aug. 24 (PTI): The 12 Indians, travelling by a US airliner and arrested in The Netherlands, have been charged with disruption of flight, Government said here tonight.

second from CBC News http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/08/24/dutch-incident.html

Sounds to me as if at least one Air Marshall over-reacted. I mean how could he not be suspicious? Guys with dark complexions, some bearded, some in robes, not talking in English, laughing, passing mobile phones round and looking at them. Totally suspect behaviour man. :eyes:

The fact the Marshall is on a flight to India with lots of ummmm Indians on board, that hijackers do not want attention and do not sit together. Yeh lets fly the plane back to Schipol and have a fighter escort. (WTF are fighter aircraft going to do appart from panic everyone)

[MadHound]

22. What an odd charge we have here.

For it doesn't appear that it was these dozen men who disrupted the flight, they didn't get the plane turned back. Nope, that was due to the actions of one over-reactive US Air Marshall. My guess is that these guys were passing around their cell phones to look at the pictures they were bringing back, a not uncommon thing that tourists do:eyes: