The Flying Imams’ Connections to Terror
Via Power Line comes a link to a fascinating column on one of the flying imams’ connections to terror. It’s by Katherine Kersten in (of all places) the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Read this column in conjunction with Audrey Hudson’s Washington Times piece on the behavior of the imams, and the conclusion is almost irresistible: the imams were trying to increase Americans’ reluctance to report or challenge suspicious behavior on an airplane.
I think they had several goals, including the following and perhaps others:
1. Test the reaction by airline personnel to assertive or questionable behavior by Muslims/Arab travelers and learn what airline personnel are trained to do in response to specific provocation(s).
2. Observe whether sky marshals or other security personnel were present and what actions they would or would not take. The imams might also have hoped to verify whether they were under government surveillance.
3. Raise objections to any airline/government reaction (regardless of whether or not it was reasonable) by claiming they engaged in wrongful conduct or profiling. The goals might have been to garner positive media coverage, as well as attempt to cause the airline to lessen security due to pressure to avoid offending Muslim/Arab travelers.
DRJ (a41dd4) — 12/10/2006 @ 11:12 pmone more 9/11 and people will go out and burn the mosques. these imams will end up dangling from tree branches.
assistant devil's advocate (045eac) — 12/10/2006 @ 11:31 pmLet’s all do everything we can to make this blow up in their faces.
Then maybe we can keep the momentum going and expose the rest of the Islamicist allies.
larry (feb78b) — 12/11/2006 @ 8:33 amThat’s what was supposed to happen last time. It didn’t.
Jim Treacher (15574e) — 12/11/2006 @ 8:41 amI think that the “tree branches comment is about 2 or 3 9/11s to soon, but it will get to that point in the end. No one, and certainly not Western Civilization will go quietly to that good night. But it is in our power, now, today, to prevent that world war.
Daniel (9f37aa) — 12/11/2006 @ 8:00 pmDespite stunts like this–most of the world simply does not see the threat. And so we ignore it, until, I guess another 9/11. But it is right here in front of anyone who wants to look!!
[…] What were the flying imams up to? I gave you my opinion the other day: [T]he imams were trying to increase Americans’ reluctance to report or challenge suspicious behavior on an airplane. […]
Patterico’s Pontifications » More from Kersten on the Flying Imams (421107) — 12/13/2006 @ 10:24 pm