Sub helps in hunt for Air France black boxes; 2 terror suspects reported on flight

Oh god, here we go... let's throw out the idea, without a shred of proof, that it was terrorists who blew up the flight.

Now, I'm not saying it shouldn't be investigated, but if the media's going to spread panick about something like this without substantiating it it's just going to cause a lot of grief and finger pointing. That WOULD be good for Air France, of course... making them the victims instead of the potential perpetrators and close a number of doors on lawsuits, though.

i thought everyone who was a little dark-skinned was a terrorist suspect these days

Johnny:

" i thought everyone who was a little dark-skinned was a terrorist suspect these days "

What kind of stupid comment is that? They haven´t released the names of the two islamists, when they´ll do and you can find photos, you´ll see that they are just as pale-skinned as you.

The jihadists don´t get their murderous ideas from their skin colour, they get them from their ideology.

Well my guess is that terrorism wasn't involved because no one has claimed responsibility and there's no message. It would be kind of pointless to use terrorism otherwise...

SuperLib:

" Well my guess is that terrorism wasn't involved because no one has claimed responsibility and there's no message. It would be kind of pointless to use terrorism otherwise... "

No, it would not.

There are plenty of jihadist attacks around the world every week without someone claiming responsibility. The important thing is that the unbelievers live in fear.

This might have been a terrorist attack or not, but that nobody claimed responsibility proves nothing.

WilliB: "They haven´t released the names of the two islamists, when they´ll do and you can find photos, you´ll see that they are just as pale-skinned as you."

Your post speaks volumes about your character. First, there were two people SUSPECTED of LINKS to Islamic terrorism; which in a nutshell means that there were two people suspected to links to terrorism who, remote as it seems, may have been the cause of a plane crash. In other words, no facts have been released, nor is there even PROOF of links, and already you jumping to the conclusion that two 'pale-skinned (as you... and do you know Johnny is pale-skinned also?)' terrorists is a leading factor in how the plane crashed.

"The important thing is that the unbelievers live in fear."

And with people like you gladly pandering to media reports that terrorism may have been involved, and hoping to spread it, you insist that people DO live in fear. Fortunately, we don't get duped as easily as many who tune into FOX/CNN news, or actually believed the crap fed by your previous admin in particular.

"The jihadists don´t get their murderous ideas from their skin colour, they get them from their ideology."

And others get their murderous rage/fear from a complete ignorance of others' beliefs/ways of life, and use said ignorance as a kind of ideology to do pretty much the same thing that they purport to 'hate'. Or at the very least they use the ignorance to spout a lot of nonsense and fan the flames of hate, well before any facts come to light (nudge).

smith:

" And others get their murderous rage/fear from a complete ignorance of others' beliefs/ways of life, and use said ignorance as a kind of ideology to do pretty much the same thing that they purport to 'hate'. "

Typical cultural relativism cum ignorance. Fact is, there is no Buddhist jihaad, no Catholic jihaad, no Jewish jihaad, continue at will.

Islamic jihadists are committing terror on behalf of their religion all over the world, including in France. And that is why the names of the French jihadist on the passenger list matter.

If this was an accident or not, we don´t know, and we might never know.

WilliB: "If this was an accident or not, we don´t know, and we might never know."

And so again, best to inspire fear by suggesting it MIGHT have been terrorism when there is ZERO grounds for doing so. You espouse many of the same practices of those you claim to condemn, you're just not willing to admit it.

As to your idea that Islam is the root of all evil, well, we all know that that is steeped in the same hate that some Muslims use to justify terrorism (you use it to justify action against Muslims). And Jihad, the translation is 'struggle'.

In that case, it might have been an alien attack on the plane. So we should all be in complete fear of extraterrestrials too. I've no evidence that it was, but neither have the people who are spreading the terrorist propaganda.

soldave:

" In that case, it might have been an alien attack on the plane. So we should all be in complete fear of extraterrestrials too "

No aliens with a terrorist on the passenger list, alas. Better luck next time.

People keep talking about the possibility of terrorism here - apparently two Pakistani's were on board. It would seem a pretty difficult task to blow up a plane these days, so I'll have to reject the idea on the same grounds as the others.

I'd pretty much rule out terrorism. I think France/Airbus are getting desperate.

teleprompter: "I'd pretty much rule out terrorism. I think France/Airbus are getting desperate."

Oh my! We are actually somewhat in agreement, save for the obvious and rather sad stab at France in general. The company is certainly grasping at straws to help its reputation.

WillB,

Would you kindly please stop trying to turn every thread hear at JT into a soapbox for your tired and boring rants against Islam.

You hate and distrust anything having to do with Islam: Check.

We think you're off your nut for being so single-mindedly anti-Islam everything to the exclusion of any other possiblity in a given discussion: Check.

Smith is right. The media is misrepresenting the facts in order to sell news - namely they're interpreting the discovery of two names that are similar to those of known terror suspects as being one and the same with discovering two actual terror suspects having been on the plain. And that's simply not true. So can you please carry your "I hate Islam" rage somewhere where it's more relevant?

Seriously, mentioning "Islamic Terrorists" in a thread is quickly becoming the new Godwin's Law thanks in part to you, except it kills discussions sooner rather than later.

i'm skeptical on the terrorism angle...normally those guys are running over each other to claim credit

LFRA:

I am so sorry that you don´t like reality, but reality is what it is. There is a world-wide jihaad going on, and France has received numerous threats from Islamic terrorist groups in recent months, especially since French troops were sent to fight in Afghanistan.

I don´t know if the plane was brought down by faulty pitot tubes or a suicide bomber, and neither do you.

But to dismiss one option out of hand because you don´t like it is stupid. I hope the investigators are more objective.

'reported on flight' means reported by a tabloid? Not by authorities I thinks.

Any computer nerds out there that would like to offer an opinion on whether it would be possible using a portable computer on board the plane to mess up the flight computer & bring down a plane? I’m no techi so wouldn’t like to blindly guess, but I do know mobiles are bad news when used on a plane because the mobile signal messes up the planes guidance.

Just an idea, so don't jump on my head.

WilliB: This might have been a terrorist attack or not, but that nobody claimed responsibility proves nothing.

Well sure it does. What's the point of blowing up a plane if people think it was caused by a faulty sensor? Are they trying to raise the fear level of dying by act of God?

The French magazine L’Express reported that French intelligence services had matched the names of two passengers on board Flight 447 with those of suspects linked to Islamic terrorism. But it noted the passengers’ birth dates were not available, and that it might only be a case of people with similar names. The names themselves were not reported.

But a senior French internal security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the nature of her job, said French security “didn’t find any suspicious names” on the passenger list. “That doesn’t mean there aren’t on a suspect list, but it’s not ours,” she told The Associated Press.

Other police and intelligence agencies involved said they also had no information about terrorist connections to Flight 447.

Brazil’s federal police have examined airport video footage of passengers to help identify the bodies, not to pursue any suspicions of terrorism, according to an agency spokeswoman who insisted on anonymity because she was not authorized to discuss the matter.

I'm not sure I'd call the above "fear mongering." More like, "mentioning," and I think terrorism crosses people's mind so naturally it would be an angle in the reporting.

SuperLib:

" Well sure it does. "

No it doesn´t. Refresh my memory: Who claimed responsibility for 9/11 or 7/7?

" What's the point of blowing up a plane if people think it was caused by a faulty sensor? Are they trying to raise the fear level of dying by act of God? "

Slaying the idolators whereever you find them; it is quite a broad commend. Nothing as specific as you wish to believe.

Again, in this case we don´t know. But the "it can´t be..." is wishful thinking on your part.

Terror suspects on the plane eh? Why did they get past security and if this was an act of terrorism why hasn't anyone claimed responsibility?

WilliB: "But to dismiss one option out of hand because you don´t like it is stupid. I hope the investigators are more objective."

No, what's stupid is claiming something terrorism an 'option' without a shred of proof (and even with proof to the contrary, like no burn marks on the debris), and that the things (ie. needed-to-be replaced and are now doing it censors) that were likely to be the cause are no more an option than a trumped up and vague 'terrorist link'.

Dude... you've been utterly proven to be the fear-monger you are on this thread, and trying to constantly bring in your fear of and hatred for Islam really doesn't help your 'defense'. You'll look for validation to hate Islam in anything and it's no surprise you're doing so here.

LFR,

"Would you kindly please stop trying to turn every thread hear at JT into a soapbox for your tired and boring rants against Islam."

Hear, hear.

"I am so sorry that you don´t like reality, but reality is what it is"

It's only "reality" in willi-world.

What reasons would the authorities have to cover up a terrorist attack?

Madverts:

" What reasons would the authorities have to cover up a terrorist attack? "

Nobody said "covering up". Last time I looked, they are still fishing parts out the ocean, so at this point nobody knows.

With the long list of successful and attempted plane bombings plus the jihadist threats against France, dismissing terrorism off the bat is stupid. But that is political correctness for you.

The so-called terror suspects have already been completely cleared! They just happened to share a name with real suspected terrorists, which is probably why they were allowed on the plane.

God, this site is so slow to report things.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090611/twl-air-france-jet-disintegrated-in-mid-3fd0ae9.html

Although, I think a slowly disintegrating plane must be a worse way to die than a quickly exploding plane. Terrible to think of. Poor people.

WilliB,

There is real reality, and then there is "WilliB's Reality," one in which Islamists are hiding behind every door and every Muslim is a suicide bomber waiting for the right opportunity - based on your limited and an entirely subjective interpretation of translations of the Koran. You see Islamic terrorists with the same frequency that Joe McCarthy saw communists, and it's truly, truly sad.

Please don't presume to lecture me on objectivity when you send the following as your opening salvo to this thread: “They haven´t released the names of the two islamists.” You’ve already decided there were terrorists on the plane. And quite ahead of the gun, if recent news reports are to be believes: No terrorists on the plane. (I can sense your crest falling from here, BTW)

My point isn’t to dismiss the possibility of a terrorist attack off the bat. It’s about not letting loose an incomplete and irresponsible report that there may have been suspected terrorists on the plane, when there isn’t enough evidence to justify the reactions that are sure to follow at the mere mention of terrorists in some quarters – reactions like yours, for example.

Interestingly, the French, whose predicament with radical terrorist groups seems to pique your interest in this particular incident, stated with a fair degree of confident that “security didn’t find any suspicious names on the passenger list.”

But apparently, you are far more attuned to the inner workings and philosophies of Islamic radicals than French security organizations. Maybe you should work harder to share your insight with the proper authorities, rather than spinning your wheels here at JT.

LFR,

According to willi, parts of France live under sharia law - so I wouldn't be surprised to find the "cover up" of "the terrorist attack" on Air France Flight 447 sitting comfortably in the conspiracy.

Madverts,

Yes, convenient how that works, isn't it?

LFRA:

" But apparently, you are far more attuned to the inner workings and philosophies of Islamic radicals than French security organizations. "

LOL, no, but I am not bound by politically correct government restrictions; only by the JC moderators, who seem mainly interested in staying on topic.

As for the topic, nothing has been ascertained yet, and boy how much egg you would have on your face if eventually they find clues that it was indeed a bomb.

"I am not bound by politically correct government restrictions . . . "

Or widely accepted rules governing the establishment of proof before determining guilt, it would appear. You seem more inclined to subscribe to the "if it walks somewhat like a duck" school of legal thought.

No, no egg. More like validation that allowing the investigation to bear fruit before jumping to conclusions was the correct approach all along, rather than succumbing to "titillation" journalism to boost sales and "egg" on obsessives. I mean, the truth is what we're all looking for, rather than innuendos and assumptions, right?