Another Terror Plot Foiled?
We don't know yet, but the details that are available seem to point in that direction.
South Asian could mean these folks are from the Indonesian area, a hotbed of extremist Muslim activity.
But, of course, whether or not this was a terror plot is just speculation at this point.
With twelve arrested, though, I can't help but think "plot." And if it was a plot, it's scary that it got this close to being carried out. We should be detecting these plots and arresting the people involved before they get though airport security and get on the planes.
Update: Rusty at The Jawa Report emails to tell me that "south Asian" probably means India or Pakistan. That could make sense seeing as how the British terror plot involved connections with Pakistan, but this is all just speculation right now.
Update: More:
Still no solid links to terrorism here, but the fact that these dozen people weren't just detained by authorities but arrested tells me that there's some fire under all this smoke.
Update: According to CNN the arrested passengers haven't been formally charged, but officials are saying that there is enough information to hold them in custody for three days.
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) A dozen passengers are now under arrest after their flight got a fighter jet escort back to the Amsterdam airport.
Dutch police say 12 people are in custody, though it's not immediately clear what the charges are. A police spokesman also declined to say what nationalities they are.
An American woman aboard the Northwest Airlines jet says she saw officers handcuff and remove several men who looked to be South Asian.
The flight had left the Netherlands heading for India, when authorities say the crew felt some passengers were acting suspiciously. No one will elaborate on that.
South Asian could mean these folks are from the Indonesian area, a hotbed of extremist Muslim activity.
But, of course, whether or not this was a terror plot is just speculation at this point.
With twelve arrested, though, I can't help but think "plot." And if it was a plot, it's scary that it got this close to being carried out. We should be detecting these plots and arresting the people involved before they get though airport security and get on the planes.
Update: Rusty at The Jawa Report emails to tell me that "south Asian" probably means India or Pakistan. That could make sense seeing as how the British terror plot involved connections with Pakistan, but this is all just speculation right now.
Update: More:
While Flight NO0042 was over German airspace shortly after takeoff, the pilot radioed for permission to return to Schiphol Airport and asked for an escort of jet fighters because some of the passengers were acting suspiciously, the Defense Ministry said.
"A number of them behaved, in the opinion of the crew, in a suspicious manner," said the ministry. "As a result, the captain asked to return to Schiphol."
A U.S. government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, said crew members and air marshals observed the passengers trying to use cell phones and passing them among themselves while the airliner was taking off.
"It was behavior that average passengers wouldn't do," the official said.
Still no solid links to terrorism here, but the fact that these dozen people weren't just detained by authorities but arrested tells me that there's some fire under all this smoke.
Update: According to CNN the arrested passengers haven't been formally charged, but officials are saying that there is enough information to hold them in custody for three days.
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands (CNN) -- Twelve passengers were in custody Wednesday after a Northwest Airlines flight bound for Mumbai, India, returned to Amsterdam with a fighter jet escort, Dutch police said.
They have not been formally charged, police said. But an airport policeman said authorities have enough information to hold the 12 for at least three days.
Flight 42 returned to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport "after several passengers displayed behavior of concern," Northwest Airlines said in a written statement.
Some of the passengers pulled out cell phones during the flight and appeared to be trying to pass the cell phones to other passengers, a U.S. government official said.
In addition, some passengers unfastened their seatbelts while the light requiring they be fastened was still illuminated, the official said.
That was enough for U.S. air marshals aboard the DC-10 to break their cover. Flight attendants ordered the passengers to heed the orders of the marshals, the official added.
