Two topics in one! The James Woods story has been around, but the "dry run" article is worth the read:

From King Sifax to John Doe: Reporting Suspicious Behavior

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By Annie Jacobsen

During a terror raid in Manchester, England, British police officers searched an Al Qaeda member's home and discovered a manual outlining terrorists' tactics for jihad. The manual, available through the Department of Justice's Archive, is particularly interesting in its behind-the-scenes revelations about how terrorists gather intelligence about their enemy and conduct espionage in the enemy's camp.

The manual offers by-example reconnaissance tactics, citing spies doing fieldwork in such diverse situations as the Tel Aviv airport in the 1970's and a British post office during World War I. My favorite is the episode involving ancient Roman spies who got the better of a King named Sifax by using a decoy in the form of a horse.

They [The Romans]…freed one of their horses and started chasing him around the [King's] camp. After they learned about the extent of the [King's] fortifications, they caught the horse.

In other words, because King Sifax mistook the horse for being just a horse the spies were able to figure out how the King's security system worked. According to the Al Qaeda training manual, a little while later the spies returned to the King's camp and burned it to the ground.

I think about King Sifax being duped by that horse every time I read about the flying imams. The flying imams, in case you don't follow news from the aviation domain, are the six Muslim clerics who acted suspiciously during the boarding process of a November 20, 2006 US Airways flight, were escorted off the plane, missed their flight and subsequently filed a federal lawsuit over it.

The imams' federal lawsuit is particularly cunning in a King-Sifax-and-the-horse kind of way because the suit names the passengers on the flight as defendants, not just the deep-pocketed airlines -- as has been the case in every airline/racial-profiling suit since the enemy flew planes into our buildings and the metaphorical camp burned to the ground.

The cunning part of the lawsuit is summed up in an April 14, Op-Ed piece from the New York Times written by James Zumwalt:

"Some security experts suggest the imams' conduct may have been intended to identify aviation security weaknesses. Their John Doe lawsuit tends to support this theory, as such a complaint can also serve to manipulate our legal system to silence those who might otherwise report suspicious activity."

I am John Doe, in spirit, and I'm also John Doe in reality. I am Annie Jacobsen and three years ago, I saw something on an airplane and I said something about it. I wasn't sued -- but a whole lot of other things happened instead.

What I saw on Northwest Flight 327 was a group of Syrian men act as though they were going to hijack the plane. The men blocked the aircraft aisles, knocked over a passenger and spent so much time in the aircraft bathrooms that one Syrian emerged covered in toilet chemicals. As the flight was about to land, seven of the men stood in the aisle and used the toilets while the leader read from a small red book. One of the men then made a slashing motion across his throat and mouthed the word, 'no.'

What I saw on that Detroit-to-Los Angeles flight was so alarming it never occurred to me to censor myself when it came to speaking out about what happened on the flight. It never occurred to me to worry about getting sued. First I spoke with federal agents for two hours, under oath, detailing what I saw. Later, after I learned that the government botched the investigation of the Syrians and then tried to cover their mistakes, I spoke up about that. For three years now, I've spoken up about what I saw as a guest on more than 400 radio and television programs. I've written 28 articles on the subject as well as a book. I'm so glad I did.

Federal counterterrorism agents have told me that the Syrians on the flight I was on were practicing how to build a bomb in the aircraft toilet -- that the flight I was on was something known in counterterrorism circles as a "dry run." Other federal agents have told me it was more likely "the real deal called off." But that information came to me much later. That information came long after WomensWallStreet.com published my original 3,000-word article in which I describe exactly what I saw.

Any reasonable person would have done what I did; others on the flight went on television and described the terror resulting from what they saw on Flight 327, too. Eventually, the White House asked the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, to investigate exactly what happened on the flight. The investigation, called Review of the Department's Handling of Suspicious Passengers Aboard Northwest Flight 327, took 22 months to complete (I was interviewed for the investigation). The review is a textbook case of why reporting suspicious behavior must be a citizen's protected right. If this review were used in the imams' lawsuit against John Doe, it could function as John Doe's defense item Exhibit-1. But the review can't be used in John Doe's defense because the government classified its findings.

The reason the review is being withheld from the public eye is because its contents embarrasses the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The report contains information that ties at least two of the Syrians from the dry run on Flight 327 to an earlier dry run on different airlines -- Frontier Airlines Flight 577. That the TSA missed connecting these dots and instead allowed the Syrians to go free without answering some serious questions reveals a great flaw in the aviation security net.    

The earlier incident happened on January 24, 2004 during a Houston-to-San Francisco flight. Joe Hodas, media spokesman for Frontier Airlines, confirmed this incident with me. Hodas politely declined to add further details of the Syrians' suspicious activity on Flight 577 citing "safety and security concerns." What Hodas also confirmed with me was that it was the Frontier Airlines flight crew who notified officials about the suspicious behavior onboard. Those flight attendants saw something and they said something. They didn't worry about being sued.

While the exact nature of the suspicious activity by Syrian men onboard Northwest Flight 327 and Frontier Flight 577 remains a government-classified mystery, the details about another flight that was a terrorist dry run have finally come to bear. This flight involved the Emmy Award-winning actor James Woods. In August of 2001, just a month before 9/11, Woods reported suspicious behavior by four Middle-Eastern men onboard a Boston-to-Los Angeles flight. Woods told a flight attendant and the Captain of that aircraft, that he suspected the men on his flight might attempt to hijack the plane. The Captain came out of the cockpit (this was a month before 9/11) and spoke personally with Woods. Later the Captain filed a report about the incident with the FAA. But no one followed up with Woods until after 9/11. Woods has stated publicly that the men whose suspicious behavior he reported were Mohammad Atta and three members of his suicide cell.

Now is not the time to squelch airline passengers from speaking out about suspicious behavior. "If you see something, say something," is the public safety mantra of the times. During World War II, there was different government mantra and it went like this: "loose lips sink ships." Well, this is a war, too. Should the flying imams be allowed to sue airline passenger John Doe, we will see lots of people tightening their lips out of fear of being sued. In the war against Al Qaeda, tight lips can sink ships. Tight lips can turn planes into missiles and explode subways, buses and trains.

See the horse for what it is and report suspicious behavior. The imams' lawsuit is a decoy. Its aim is to locate security holes in the castle walls. On March 27. Congress voted to amend The Rail and Public Transportation Act of 2007 with a clause to protect public transportation passengers and airline passengers from being sued for reporting suspicious behavior.  304 member of Congress voted in favor of this necessary amendment. But 121 members of Congress voted against it. Write to your Congressperson and demand comprehensive legislation that allows citizens the unconditional right to report suspicious behavior. Write to the Inspector General and demand the release the entire investigation of the Department's Handling of Suspicious Passengers Aboard Northwest Flight 327. In doing so, you will be doing your part in shoring up the castle walls.  

Author's note: As of press time, Tamara Faulkner, Media Spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General told me that all existing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for the release of "Department's Handling of Suspicious Passengers Aboard Northwest Flight 32" are ongoing. Many of these FOIA requests are now in their twelfth month. "We are dealing with security sensitive issues," Faulkner explained.

Phew! GD is a tough place these days

Woods and Mr. Anonymous did the right thing in reporting the incident.  The FBI, however, dropped the ball.  They COULD have identified the passengers exhibiting unusual behavior in question at least in Woods case, but it appears that nothing more was done, more than a report being filed.

Quoted: Woods and Mr. Anonymous did the right thing in reporting the incident.  The FBI, however, dropped the ball.  They COULD have identified the passengers exhibiting unusual behavior in question at least in Woods case, but it appears that nothing more was done, more than a report being filed.

That always was my under standing of the situation.

Perhaps the witnesses made the mistake of reporting their stories on a Friday, when the staffers were looking forward to the weekend. Maybe they should have waited for a Monday. Business as usual at the FBI offices I guess.

Does the FBI even know we are at war?

political correctness is killing America, in more ways than one......

Quoted: political correctness is killing America, in more ways than one......

+1

I believe there is a bill before Congress to give immunity from civil lawsuits for reporting suspicious behaviour.  It ought to be passed and the Imams lawsuit (while it would probably not be preempted by the bill) should be thrown out and the Imams sanctioned.  

Why is it that our great "watchdog media" who crawl up every Republican's ass looking for scandal has not looked at the individual "flying imam"s backgrounds and connections?

My wife told me that she he thinks James Woods is hot on his new TV show.

I immediatly called her ghey and ask her what medication she was currently taking??

Sheesh!!

Thanks anyway Mr. Woods!!  

Quoted: Quoted: political correctness is killing America, in more ways than one...... +1

+2

we're so worried about hurting feelings nowadays we'd rather let people die or planes get highjacked.

it's sick.

Quoted: My wife told me that she he thinks James Woods is hot on his new TV show. I immediatly called her ghey and ask her what medication she was currently taking?? Sheesh!! Thanks anyway Mr. Woods!!

Not trying to get this off track, but James Woods is one of the few conservative actors in Hollywood. He has not been as vocal as some, like Tom Selleck, for example, but I have seen interviews where he took a very strong conservative stance, that would be right at home on Arfcom.  

I wonder if Tom Selleck is not getting that many roles because of his politics.

Woods gets lots of work though.

Most Americans wouldn't even speak up if they saw something for fear of being called prejudiced, and being labeled a biggot.  We are more afraid of a lawsuit than a bomb.  Truly sad.

Quoted: I wonder if Tom Selleck is not getting that many roles because of his politics. Woods gets lots of work though.

Yep, I believe that is exactly why Woods does not go out of his way to publicize his political beliefs. I imagine it would be very detrimental to his career. I am sure Tom Selleck's career has been hurt by his public pro-gun stance.

Quoted: Quoted: political correctness is killing America, in more ways than one...... +1

No...juries who order that huge amounts of $$ be paid out, and judges who won't stand up to it, are the problem.