Officials say al-Qaida operatives may be fully trained airline pilots

The question is whether the pax would ever be aware of the impending
disaster. Looking out the window, gee, we seem to be a little low....
Not likely the guy is gonna make an announcement and have the folks
in back alert the media - and the USAF...

Background checks on foreign pilots, anyone? BTW - I highly recommend
Lou Martin's book "Wings Over Persia" - google the title. It's a
memoir of his years flying for the Shah of Iran just before the
Revolution. Interesting insights into Middle Eastern (though not
Arab) mind and culture.


(Ross Oliver) wrote in message ...
On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 21:16:56 -0800, Mutts wrote:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ID/3775771/

Authorities raised the terrorist threat assessment over the weekend
after new intelligence indicated that operatives of Osama bin Laden?s
al-Qaida terror network, possibly trained and licensed to fly
passenger jets, may now be pilots for some foreign airlines, ideally
positioning them to carry out suicide attacks, U.S. officials told NBC
News on Monday.


This was my favorite quote, from CNN:

"Ironically, reinforced cockpit doors now installed on many airliners
would serve to protect a pilot-terrorist from passenger intervention."