What happened at Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport?

I’m surprised this story hasn’t gotten more attention:

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has learned that federal investigators and airport police are questioning six Middle Eastern men who had to be escorted off of a plane Monday afternoon at Minneapolis/St. Paul International.

U.S. Airway officials tell 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS’ Aviation Expert Bob McNaney that Monday while Flight 300 was preparing to take off from Minneapolis to Phoenix, a passenger passed a note to a flight attendant saying they noticed ‘suspicious behavior,’ among the men.

The men would not get off the plane when asked, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has learned, and had to be removed by police.

Sources tell 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that the men were chanting ‘Allah, Allah, Allah,’ as they were transported down the jetway.

I’m headed off to zzzland. Perhaps there will be more to report on this story in the morning.

Tue AM Update: Atlas Shrugs and Allah have more updates on this developing story. Looks like it was a false alarm.

10 Responses to "What happened at Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport?"

Leaning Straight Up says:

November 21, 2006 at 1:22 am

Breaking: 6 Middle Eastern Men Removed From Flight at MSP

HT Sister Toldjah:
LINK
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has learned that federal investigators and airport police are questioning six Middle Eastern men who had to be escorted off of a plane Monday afternoon at …
Karl says:

November 21, 2006 at 3:09 am

UPDATE: Looks like an overreaction. Maybe.
Via Hot Air

6 imams removed from flight at U.S. airport after 3 conduct traditional prayers
The six Muslim scholars were returning from a conference in Minneapolis of the North American Imams Federation, said Shahin, president of the group. Five of them were from the Phoenix-Tempe area, while one was from Bakersfield, California, he said.

Three of them stood and said their normal evening prayers together on the plane, as 1.7 billion Muslims around the world do every day, Shahin said. He attributed any concerns by passengers or crew to ignorance about Islam.So why do I say maybe? If so many millions do this nightly, why is it they have been seen doing it on an airplane before. I mean up to any after 911 Muslims still fly. So in all the last 30 years or so, why hasn’t this particular ritual been observed?

Bearing in mind my cynicism, I cannot help but wonder how many of these confrontations are planned to generate a media storm about intolerant America.

An interesting note from Lileks:

According to the TV, the men said they were in town for “a religious conference.” Interesting. I was talking today with a guy I know; he’d been at a suburban hotel for an annual company sales meeting. The regional manager was having a difficult time speaking, since the party in the next conference room was praying about as loudly as is humanly possible, and had followed the prayers with a speaker who expressed in rather . . . forceful terms the depth of Muslim oppression in America. Unless there are several Muslim religious conferences going on in Minneapolis at the moment, I’d guess that might be the one. If so, I wonder if the reported truculence of the men might have been influenced, or at least reinforced, by the speaker. Whoever he was.
Obviously not any proof of anything, but remember I am a cynic.
Drewsmom says:

November 21, 2006 at 6:17 am

I’m up at 5:15 am central time and haven’t heard one word on this. Glad the passengers are being alert, this is what we all need to do on flights.
Webloggin says:

November 21, 2006 at 10:23 am

Middle Eastern Men on a Plane Praying – Should We Be Worried

My opinion on this, too bad, too sad. Live with it. If we have to live with the threat of some nut job blowing themselves up on a plane or putting it into the side of a building then they are going to live with the threat of being pulled off the plane,…
Big Bang Hunter says:

November 21, 2006 at 12:14 pm

– An interesting sidelight is the number of these cases over the past few years that I popped up doing a simple yahoo search. Apparently they get light local coverage, but nothing from National news unless FOX covers it. Question is, is this the Airlines low balling it (bad for business), or the usual MSM “selctive copy desk” (goes against the “there is no WOT meme.)?

– Bang
Baklava says:

November 21, 2006 at 12:25 pm

THey need to be arrested simply for not obeying the orders of the police to leave the plane.

I don’t know about anyone else but when I get pulled over and told to do something by the police I do it. I also listen to ALL airport authorities when traveling.

When did it become chic to not listen to authorities and then GET AWAY with it. I hope they are charged to the fullest extent of the law for disobeying. People need to learn and the media should use them as an example to show what fines and punishment can happen when you disobey.

As my women tell me…. You will submit…

Well… I for one will never submit to Islam. And anyone and everyone should submit to authorities. They are trying to help everyone. It’ll be sorted out in due course. Not listening won’t help.
Ron says:

November 21, 2006 at 1:31 pm

6 Arabs stand up and start praying on an airplane? They are very lucky the passangers didn’t stomp them into jelly. They keep pushing the envelope and it will be them that gets their heads cut off.
Cop The Truth says:

November 21, 2006 at 1:50 pm

Muslim Imams detained

From BREITBART:Six Muslim imams were removed from a US Airways flight at Minneapolis- St. Paul International Airport on Monday and questioned by police for several hours before being released, a leader of the group said. The six were among passengers
Baklava says:

November 21, 2006 at 2:57 pm

Oh yeah Ron. Because that’s what “passangers” (sic) do in America.
Right Voices » Blog Archive » 6 Muslim imams were removed from a US Airways flight says:

November 21, 2006 at 8:58 pm

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