jihsgo
11-09-2002, 14:46
This incident happened in late August and is an example of ineptidude and ridiculousness, and the extreme American paranoia in this post 9/11 world.
My daughter's girlfriend had been in Los Angeles visiting her mother who lives there. She flew out of LA en route to Toronto with a 5 hour layover in Chicago. I drove to Toronto with her grandmother and my daughter to pick her up. While we were waiting for her flight to disembark, a police officer came out and told us that no one was allowed off the plane. He told us there had been a 'breach of security' at the Chicago airport, and a US federal warrant had been issued for the arrest of this 18 year old highschool student for this apparent 'breach'. She was to be arrested, escorted under armed guard and returned to Chicago to face charges. These charges were issued under the new Anti-Terrorist Act. When we questioned what was the nature of the alleged 'breach', we were told she had left a 'secure' area for a cigarette, then returned to said 'secure' area, boarded her flight and was now in the plane sitting on the tarmac being questioned by US agents. After we finished laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation, we questioned; if it was secure, why was she allowed to leave the area, why was she allowed back in, why was the plane allowed to take off, and why was the plane allowed to land? In addition to this, Canadian Immigration authorities would not clear her to enter the country. We pointed out she was Canadian citizen and how could she not be allowed to enter the country of her birth? At this, the officer said, 'oh' and said he would check that out. After a further hour and further discussions with airport security, she was allowed to leave. Her story was chilling. Upon landing, the plane was surrounded by a SWAT team and was boarded by armed personnel. She was surrounded by armed guards and interrogated on the plane. She was searched, had her top removed to the bra, had her pants undone and was patted down and her purse emptied all in full view of other passengers and the male guards. The US authorities wanted her to be taken for a full strip and body cavity search. Now, we are talking about a scared, dark-complexioned, 18 year old girl. She was petrified and did not understand what was happening. It was finally determined by an RCMP officer that she was Canadian, and after listening to her tearfull story, denied the US authorties from detaining her. Basically, he told them she is ours and she is home. If you want her, you'll have to extradite. The RCMP also told her they were making a formal complaint to the US authorities over this now international incident. It was the US's mess up at Chicago that allowed this to happen. In this supposed 'secure' area, there was no one around, and doors were freely open to any one coming or going without question. In fact, when she went to leave to have her smoke, she searched for someone to ask, had her boarding pass in hand and did find someone in uniform who told her 'sure, right out that door, then back in'. Which she did. She made a collect call to my house when she got back in to say she was leaving Chicago in 15 min and to ensure we were on our way to Toronto to meet her. One of the questions she was asked by the interrogators was who did she call and who was her contact! Well, that would be me. Now, not to be too paranoid about this, but thinking like an American at this point in time could go like this. Could that phone call have been traced? Probably. Our name is not 'white bread'. My husband is an immigrant, from a communist country. We have been socially acitve and are members of the leftist political party, have Muslim friends, visit an Islamic web site, have relatives in the Mohawk Warrior Society....mmmm definately subversive. Just in case our phones are now tapped, we make sure to mention the 'foolish Americans' in conversation and have informed pretty much everyone we know of this incident. Yesterday, this young girl received a summons to testify in a court for the Canadian authorities in regards to this incident. Think it could never happen to you? Think again.
Peace and Blessings and hope for a saner world
jihsgo
My daughter's girlfriend had been in Los Angeles visiting her mother who lives there. She flew out of LA en route to Toronto with a 5 hour layover in Chicago. I drove to Toronto with her grandmother and my daughter to pick her up. While we were waiting for her flight to disembark, a police officer came out and told us that no one was allowed off the plane. He told us there had been a 'breach of security' at the Chicago airport, and a US federal warrant had been issued for the arrest of this 18 year old highschool student for this apparent 'breach'. She was to be arrested, escorted under armed guard and returned to Chicago to face charges. These charges were issued under the new Anti-Terrorist Act. When we questioned what was the nature of the alleged 'breach', we were told she had left a 'secure' area for a cigarette, then returned to said 'secure' area, boarded her flight and was now in the plane sitting on the tarmac being questioned by US agents. After we finished laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation, we questioned; if it was secure, why was she allowed to leave the area, why was she allowed back in, why was the plane allowed to take off, and why was the plane allowed to land? In addition to this, Canadian Immigration authorities would not clear her to enter the country. We pointed out she was Canadian citizen and how could she not be allowed to enter the country of her birth? At this, the officer said, 'oh' and said he would check that out. After a further hour and further discussions with airport security, she was allowed to leave. Her story was chilling. Upon landing, the plane was surrounded by a SWAT team and was boarded by armed personnel. She was surrounded by armed guards and interrogated on the plane. She was searched, had her top removed to the bra, had her pants undone and was patted down and her purse emptied all in full view of other passengers and the male guards. The US authorities wanted her to be taken for a full strip and body cavity search. Now, we are talking about a scared, dark-complexioned, 18 year old girl. She was petrified and did not understand what was happening. It was finally determined by an RCMP officer that she was Canadian, and after listening to her tearfull story, denied the US authorties from detaining her. Basically, he told them she is ours and she is home. If you want her, you'll have to extradite. The RCMP also told her they were making a formal complaint to the US authorities over this now international incident. It was the US's mess up at Chicago that allowed this to happen. In this supposed 'secure' area, there was no one around, and doors were freely open to any one coming or going without question. In fact, when she went to leave to have her smoke, she searched for someone to ask, had her boarding pass in hand and did find someone in uniform who told her 'sure, right out that door, then back in'. Which she did. She made a collect call to my house when she got back in to say she was leaving Chicago in 15 min and to ensure we were on our way to Toronto to meet her. One of the questions she was asked by the interrogators was who did she call and who was her contact! Well, that would be me. Now, not to be too paranoid about this, but thinking like an American at this point in time could go like this. Could that phone call have been traced? Probably. Our name is not 'white bread'. My husband is an immigrant, from a communist country. We have been socially acitve and are members of the leftist political party, have Muslim friends, visit an Islamic web site, have relatives in the Mohawk Warrior Society....mmmm definately subversive. Just in case our phones are now tapped, we make sure to mention the 'foolish Americans' in conversation and have informed pretty much everyone we know of this incident. Yesterday, this young girl received a summons to testify in a court for the Canadian authorities in regards to this incident. Think it could never happen to you? Think again.
Peace and Blessings and hope for a saner world
jihsgo