Kurt Haskell's Disturbing Account About The Pantybomber
This is an excerpt from practicing attorney Haskell's statement that he never made before the court, because pantybomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab pled guilty:
On Christmas Day 2009, my wife and I were returning from an African safari and had a connecting flight through Amsterdam. As we waited for our flight, we sat on the floor next to the boarding gate. What I witnessed while sitting there and subsequent events have changed my life forever. While I sat there, I witnessed Umar dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, being escorted around security by a man in a tan suit who spoke perfect American English and who aided Umar in boarding without a passport. The airline gate worker initially refused Umar boarding until the man in the tan suit intervened. The event meant nothing to me at the time. Little did I know that Umar would try to kill me a few hours later as our flight approached Detroit. The final 10 minutes of our flight after the attack were the worst minutes of my life. During those 10 minutes I sat paralyzed in fear. Unfortunately, what happened next has had an even greater impact on my life and has saddened me further.When we landed, I was shocked that our plane taxied up to the gate. I was further shocked that we were forced to sit on the plane for 20 minutes with powder from the so called bomb all over the cabin. The officers that boarded the plane did nothing to ensure our safety and did not check for accomplices or other explosive devices. Several passengers trampled through parts of the bomb as they exited the plane. We were then taken into the terminal with our unchecked carry on bags. Again, there was no concern for our safety even though Umar told the officers that there was another bomb on board as he exited the plane. I wondered why nobody was concerned about our safety, accomplices or other bombs and the lack of concern worried me greatly. I immediately told the FBI my story in order to help catch the accomplice I had seen in Amsterdam. It soon became obvious that the FBI wasn't interested in what I had to say, which upset me further. For one month the government refused to admit the existence of the man in the tan suit before changing course and admitting his existence in an ABC News article on January 22, 2010. That was the last time the government talked about this man. The video that would prove the truth of my account has never been released. I continue to be emotional upset that the video has not been released. The Dutch police, meanwhile, in this article (show article), also confirmed that Umar did not show his passport in Amsterdam which also meant that he didn't go through security as both are in the same line in Amsterdam. It upsets me that the government refuses to admit this fact.
I became further saddened from this case, when Patrick Kennedy of the State Department during Congressional hearings, admitted that Umar was a known terrorist, was being followed, and the U.S. allowed him into the U.S. so that it could catch Umar's accomplices. I was once again shocked and saddened when Michael Leiter of the National Counter terrorism Center admitted during these same hearings that intentionally letting terrorists into the U.S. was a frequent practice of the U.S. Government. I cannot fully explain my sadness, disappointment and fear when I realized that my government allowed an attack on me intentionally.
During this time, I questioned if my country intentionally put a known terrorist onto my flight with a live bomb. I had many sleepless nights over this issue...
More from NPR, from a Robert Siegel interview with Haskell:
Mr. KURT HASKELL (Attorney): I saw them just before we boarded at the Amsterdam airport near the final ticket agent.SIEGEL: And the younger man, the Nigerian man, you later recognized at the end of this entire thing in Detroit?
Mr. HASKELL: Right. He was the one that tried to blow up our plane a few hours later.
SIEGEL: And who is the older man or what did he look like?
Mr. HASKELL: Well, nobody knows who he is. He was a wealthy-looking Indian man, maybe around age 50. He had a suit on. And, you know, he's the one that tried to get the terrorist onto the plane without a passport.
SIEGEL: What do you mean without a passport? He was...
Mr. HASKELL: Well, what I saw specifically was the two men go to the ticket agent counter together. Only the Indian man spoke and what the Indian man said was this man needs to board the plane and he doesn't have a passport. And the ticket agent then responded, well, you need a passport to board the plane. And the Indian man said, well, he's from Sudan and we do this all the time. And the ticket agent then responded, well, you'll need to speak to my manager and pointed the two down a hallway to speak to her manager.
SIEGEL: Now, did this older man, did he appear to work for the airport or the airline or security? Did he have any badge on him identifying himself?
Mr. HASKELL: I can't say 100 percent for sure. But to me, he didn't appear that way. He appeared to be maybe trying to bully the ticket agent into letting this man on. And it seemed he was more some kind of authority figure to the terrorist.
Video:
Via Lisa Simeone
"I cannot fully explain my sadness, disappointment and fear when I realized that my government allowed an attack on me intentionally"
That's the sound of somebody's illusion being shattered that government was (after all) not their big friendly mommy/daddy agency that was just trying to protect them and keep them safe. Sorry but hello. Oh well, better to wake up to this reality late than never, like most people.
Lobster at February 21, 2012 11:56 PM
As Ronald Reagan said: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"
It would be great if more people would have this awakening...
a_random_guy at February 22, 2012 1:42 AM
That's interesting. I'll bet it -is- a problem with some of these third-world countries. A better fix would be to get them on a later flight and have some sort of in-airport passport service for third world goatherds.
NicoleK at February 22, 2012 3:28 AM
This is the same government that gave guns to the Mexican drug cartels that were used to murder over 300 Mexicans and a US Border Patrol agent. At least in this case they can claim "no harm, no foul."
Is it time to start over yet? This one isn't working very well.
MarkD at February 22, 2012 4:34 AM
If the Feds really were trailing this guy, it's very possible that they knew the "bomb" was not viable (hence the lax on-site disposal). I'm sure this was a harrowing experience and we should all stay vigilant against government intrusion, but unless author is a hazmat expert, I'm not sure he really know what he's second-guessing here.
Snakeman99 at February 22, 2012 7:47 AM
More importantly, who decreed that all TV reporters should look like a blowjob waiting to happen?
Only saw the first sentence of the video, and the idiot earnestness of her hand gestures reminded me of why you should never watch videos in blog posts.
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at February 22, 2012 8:22 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/02/kurt-haskells-d.html#comment-2993537">comment from Crid [CridComment at gmail]who decreed that all TV reporters should look like a blowjob waiting to happen?
The breasts (with a tiny head on top) reporting the weather are the worst.
Amy Alkon
at February 22, 2012 8:31 AM
"The bubble-headed bleach blonde comes on at five. She can tell you about the plane crash with a gleam in her eye." -- Glenn Frey ("Dirty Laundry")
"Unfortunately, the morning news shows no longer show the news: They’re too busy showing the crowd of people who stand around outside the TV studio for hours on end waving at the camera and holding signs that say: 'HI!' Evidently these people are too stupid to operate telephones, and this is the only way they have to communicate with their families or ward attendants back home." -- Dave Barry
Wait 'til the ageism lawsuits gets settled.
Then, like the trim, buxom stewardess ("Hi, I'm Cheryl. Fly me.") who morphed into a 300lb flight attendant for whom the passengers are an interruption of her in-flight nap, the info-bimbo will morph into a grizzled Bella Abzug look-alike sneering the news reports with a cigarette-gravelled voice while slapping on nicotine patches to get her through the broadcast.
Conan the Grammarian at February 22, 2012 9:35 AM
For weather reporters it's somehow more forgivable. Worst case, it rains. Or not.
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at February 22, 2012 11:58 AM
If the Feds really were trailing this guy, it's very possible that they knew the "bomb" was not viable (hence the lax on-site disposal).
Sorry, I have to object to this.
1. You're assuming the US government had inside knowledge of the bomb maker and the components used.
2. You're also assuming base compentency of the US government.
Both are...shall we say? generous assumptions. As it was, the device could have caused a fire. Would you take that risk?
I R A Darth Aggie at February 22, 2012 12:07 PM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/02/kurt-haskells-d.html#comment-2994104">comment from Crid [CridComment at gmail]There's a reason they call themselves meatierologists.
Amy Alkon
at February 22, 2012 1:48 PM
I prefer the Naked News Network myself. Hey, if you're going to watch bimbo-news, might as well go all the way with it...
There are things about the story that don't add up, but I don't have a clue what the truth might be. I can well believe that airport security in Amsterdam is lax enough that someone could walk in looking and acting official, and buffalo their way around security. However, the gate agent would have been an employee of Northwest, and surely she would not have let Umar on the plane, unless she was specifically instructed to do so by a supervisor. Were the gate agent and supervisor identified and interviewed? In a quick search, I haven't found anything saying that they were.
The statement about Umar intentionally being allowed onto the plane doesn't add up to me either. His bypassing of security and the gate agent was too easy; if I were a terrorist trying to sneak something aboard a plane, and found myself oddly able to just waltz around all security provisions, I'd suspect that there were on to me. Umar doesn't appear to be a stupid person, and he had done lots of air travelling previously, so he was not ignorant of how security was supposed to work.
And the materials he had for the bomb were definitely viable. Triacetone triperoxide explosives are not very reliable, but they were used successfully in the first London subway bombing in 2005.
Cousin Dave at February 22, 2012 6:50 PM
Why would they protect a crime scene when they knew it wasn't a crime? No point. It's just theatre, people.
Everything changed on 9/11.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at February 22, 2012 7:13 PM
Please tell me why the TSA is needed?
The world shifted with the attack on Tower I. There was another shift after Tower II.
If the U.S, was involved in the panty bomber, I'd like to know. But consider that Obama Miracle is White House Free of Scandal if you don't consider Fast & Furious and Solyndra as a scandal.
Jim P. at February 22, 2012 9:20 PM
@Conan the Grammarian
Don Henley wrote and sang "Dirty Laundry." But I suspect you knew that.
jimg at February 22, 2012 11:43 PM
Oops.
In my defense, at least I stayed within the Eagles.
Conan the Grammarian at February 23, 2012 9:00 AM
Maybe you were thinking of the Smuggler's Blues -- Glenn Frey.
Jim P. at February 23, 2012 7:56 PM
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