Little Green Footballs - Possible Muslim Hijackers in Bolivia

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Possible Muslim Hijackers in Bolivia

Thu, Dec 4, 2003 at 8:13:24 pm PST

Bolivia’s state news agency is reporting that 16 Muslims have been arrested for planning to hijack a plane and attack targets in the United States—and most of them have already been either released or deported to an unknown location: Bolivia Detains 16 Muslims on Terror Tipoff.

It quoted Interior Minister Alfonso Ferrufino as saying most of those arrested were Bangladeshis and that they were detained at Viru Viru airport near the southern Bolivian city of Santa Cruz on Thursday morning.
"(Ferrufino) said that the tip-off from French police said that the 16 Muslims were planning to hijack a plane en route from La Paz via Santa Cruz to Buenos Aires to attack targets in the United States," the news agency report said.

State Prosecutor Jaime Solis, who is overseeing the case, said nine of the detainees would be deported -- he did not say to where. Several other detainees had already been released.

"According to French police, there is information that four of the nine have supposed connections to terrorism," Solis was quoted as saying.

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29 comments

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joefrog Thu, Dec 4, 2003 6:16:57pm

Woohoo!!!! Number 1!!!!

dan rudy Thu, Dec 4, 2003 6:18:19pm

from UPI

Controversial fence proves its worth

koedo Thu, Dec 4, 2003 6:18:44pm

What are the chances that plane would reach US territorial airspace in one piece?

joefrog Thu, Dec 4, 2003 6:18:51pm

Does this really surprise anyone? "Radical" Islam is a virus, plain and simple. Anything it touches and anywhere it goes becomes infected. When are other nations going to realize that infections must be removed?

Great Cthulhu Thu, Dec 4, 2003 6:19:47pm

Why did any of the [bigoted word]s get released? Couldn't Bolivia give them some South American Justice aka bullet to the heads?

Watcher Thu, Dec 4, 2003 6:24:04pm

Glad they managed to be stopped... although I'm sure they will have no shortage of apologists and defenders.

Dom Thu, Dec 4, 2003 6:46:42pm

"Some Frenchman, funny guy, told us they're meant to be, like, terrorists, but half of them officially 'aren't here' so we let them go and said we never saw them. Shit." State Prosecutor Jaime Solis took a puff on his fat cigar and shrugged. "Guess if I can't get translators soon I'll let them all go. More than my job's worth not to. And then, good luck to them, know what I mean? I've asked Saudi Arabia for some translators."

Gordon Thu, Dec 4, 2003 6:50:44pm

#3 koedo: I can't imagine that the plane would have made it all the way to U.S. airspace. Maybe the Bolivian police released some of the would-be-Jihadis on the ground of stupidity.

#5 Great Cthulu has a good point: one can wish that Bolivia treated these guys like they treated Che Guevara in 1967.

It will be interesting to follow this story and see why the Bolivians released these stupid would-be-murderers.

Angie Schultz Thu, Dec 4, 2003 6:55:26pm

OK, kids, word problem: A plane leaves Santa Cruz, Bolivia, bound for Buenos Aires, Argentina, a distance of about 1000 miles. Immediately after takeoff, the plane is hijacked, and heads northwest towards the United States. Assume that the plane takes off, as usual, with just enough fuel to fly to Buenos Aires (plus, you know, enough to circle around for a bit).

Question: What city is its most likely target?

Recalculate your answer assuming that the plane is fueled to fly a round trip between La Paz and Buenos Aires (with a non-refueling stop in Santa Cruz each way).

isayalotofthings Thu, Dec 4, 2003 6:55:36pm

#8, I will always have a warm spot in my heart for Bolivia because of that.

smackhead Thu, Dec 4, 2003 7:03:37pm

#9 angie

2k miles north, the plane has little fuel, so not much explosion. so what to do? stop in Colombia, refuel, add bomb, head north. re-calc the range? what kind of plane is (was?) it?

Minstrel Thu, Dec 4, 2003 7:04:18pm

#9 Angie Shultz: I respectfully decline to answer the question, on the grounds that it gives me the willies. Can I have the one about Train A and Train B instead?

Yehudit Thu, Dec 4, 2003 7:13:38pm

The Forward has been following the interactions of terrorist groups in South America.
Also:

Paraguay's Ciudad del Este, on a remote tropical plain near the borders of Brazil and Argentina, is the Shanghai of modern-day South America. A free-trade zone that attracts merchants and shoppers from the three nations, it is a place where everything can be bought and sold. . . cells of Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas terrorists are drawn by its open borders and apathetic officials. The wealth and influence of the local Muslim community, ensconced since the 1970s in local government and business, provide these groups with resources, protection and cover, residents and law-enforcement authorities say.

Rayra Dammit Thu, Dec 4, 2003 7:37:29pm

!! Why the hell are these dogs not "deported" straight to Gitmo?? WTH!? Why are they repeatedly set free to re-attempt their crimes? Why are they not handed over by our "Allies"?

Angie Schultz Thu, Dec 4, 2003 7:39:23pm

smackhead (#11) That would sort of be my point. Either these guys have to refuel at their s00per sekrit jungle airstrips (which would mean they actually know how to take off and land), OR they think they're going to be able to fly around South America and demand to be supplied. Either way, they're going to be in the air---and on radar---a long, long time.

I'm guessing our junior jihadis aren't really very bright.

Doctor Villain Thu, Dec 4, 2003 7:42:40pm

Okay, I just woke my poor brother/roommate up yelling "What the F***?!?!" really loud. It's times like this I wonder why we're so afraid to use foreign aid-or, for that matter, electromagnetic pulse weaponry (assuming we have working models as was rumored early this year) as a means to influence other nations' policies. "You let them GO? You will never, ever get another penny from the United States. In fact...you know all that cash we've lent you over the past forty years to keep your children from starving? Have it in a briefcase by five for pickup or we'll EMP your entire nation on a monthly basis and see how smoothly your regime runs in the 1880s."

Pax,
Doctor Villain (when I grow up, I want to neutralize the bad people.)

IceCold Thu, Dec 4, 2003 7:58:00pm

Angie and smack, good thinking. Based on this VERY limited info we have, doesn't sound like a briliant operational plan.

Two other points.

I believe all inbound civil aircraft to the US now must provide some sort of password response to verify they are under proper control. Perhaps someone in the industry or Homeland Security can confirm/amend that.

Next, I'm intrigued by the detained folks being deported to an undisclosed location. Gitmo? One hopes.

Also -- the image of Bangladeshis skulking around in Santa Cruz, Bolivia takes some effort, even in our globalized world.

(OT: I once worked with some great non-jihadi Bangladeshis on assistance programs in Armenia; the locals were a bit taken aback that BANGLADESHIS were helping them out, while the Bangladeshis weren't quite sure what to make of the fact that the most distant and grimmest new Soviet-style suburban area of Yerevan was pejoratively called "Bangladesh" by the Armenians! THAT was a globalization experience .....)

Sapper Thu, Dec 4, 2003 8:54:39pm

You are all assuming a target in continental US. There are plenty of collateral targets in and around the large South American cities e.g. oil, petroleum refineries with Texaco, Gulf signs all over them. Failing that any big high rise tower will do.

Remember its the publicity, they don't care who goes down. After all the jihad warnings, this week, this one would be a limp excuse but nevertheless what else could a couple of hare-brained nutters do down there?.

Wasn't there a triangle of jihad and money-laundering at the intersection of Bolivia and two other god-forsaken jungle worlds?

Alex F Thu, Dec 4, 2003 8:55:19pm

Bolivia is one of the most anti-American countries in South America and is fast becoming a breeding ground for Islamic terrorists (aside from its cocaine cartels).

This should really start giving the chills to anyone watching '24' this season.

ESTEBAN Thu, Dec 4, 2003 10:35:49pm

#9 Angie Schultz

Panama...as in canal...

Mojo Jojo Thu, Dec 4, 2003 10:46:52pm

#9 Angie Schultz

Question: What city is its most likely target?

That's an easy one. The Panama Canal. Destroy one of the locks & the canal is out of business for a long time. Disrupting trade & causing chaos.

The other target would be Gitmo. Fly it into the prison & kill the fellow scumbags.

SA Fri, Dec 5, 2003 3:13:05am

Venezuela is a far more dangerous country than Bolivia. It is lead by a president who is rabidly anti-american as shown by his ties with Fidel castro, Saddam Hussein, Qadaffi and other unsavory anti-american characters. Venezuela also has the third largest population of muslims in South America and most of all it is closer to the US than Bolivia.
Hugo Chavez is the man to watch in South America!

Venezuela
Chavez Plans for Terrorist Regime
[Link: www.insightmag.com...]

VENEZUELA - Fidel's Successor in Latin America
[Link: www.insightmag.com...]

Al-Qaeda Across The Americas
[Link: www.insightmag.com...]

Terror Close to Home
By Linda Robinson, U.S. News 6/10/03
Oct 2, 2003, 08:16
[Link: www.ocnus.net...]

Nobody Fri, Dec 5, 2003 3:38:00am

The most distasteful thing to me is that the source of the information is the French police...a tip-off from 3000 miles away? What am I missing?

Les Fri, Dec 5, 2003 3:49:25am

The most distasteful thing to me is that the source of the information is the French police...a tip-off from 3000 miles away? What am I missing?

That this group of pimp-worshipping murderbot-terrorists don't like Brie?

Frank IBC, Abu Fa-Who For-Aze Da-Who Dor-Aze Fri, Dec 5, 2003 5:03:18am

The leader of the Bolivian opposition movement (his name escapes me) which toppled that previous government, had just returned from a trip to Libya prior to the collapse.

Californican aka paganinfidel Fri, Dec 5, 2003 5:58:27am

Deported...why couldnt they have just shot them? Their wrists must sure be sore after that bitch-slapping!

and...
Whats up with the jumping scrollbar?

SA Fri, Dec 5, 2003 6:20:20am

#25,

His name is Evo Morales.

Special Report
Coca Coup
By Alvino-Mario Fantini
Published 10/24/2003 12:04:00 AM
[Link: www.spectator.org...]

Angie Schultz Fri, Dec 5, 2003 7:09:20am

Esteban and Mojo---That's a good point. I hadn't thought of that. The article specifically mentioned targets in the United States, though.

Then again, it's a short, preliminary article. These things often evolve. I doubt we'll hear more about it, though, since it was notably unsuccessful. That's the problem---when the attack is unsuccessful, the media drops it, and people eventually believe there was never anything to it.

I don't remember this from last night. The Reuters article says: No independent confirmation was immediately available of the report from the ABI agency, which is regarded as a mouthpiece of the Bolivian government.

Were they so scrupulous about reporting the affiliation of the Afghan Islamic Press?

Phelps Fri, Dec 5, 2003 7:40:10am