[ninty]

El Al flight to Toronto threatened
Missile fear reported

Adrian Humphreys and Stewart Bell
National Post, with files from The Canadian Press


Friday, October 24, 2003

CREDIT: Ron Pozzer, The Canadian Press

An Emergency Response Team member trains his weapon on an El Al jet at Hamilton airport yesterday.


TORONTO - An Israeli airliner flying to Toronto from Tel Aviv was diverted from Pearson International Airport after a credible security threat was received during the plane's 12-hour flight.

Yesterday morning's El Al Flight 105 -- a Boeing 767 with 193 people on board -- was diverted to Montreal's Mirabel airport for safety reasons because the threat against it was specific to the plane's arrival at Toronto airport, officials said.

There were reports last night that a missile threat was made against the airliner, but authorities refused to discuss the nature of the security risk.

Officers found nothing suspicious after local, provincial and federal police, using sniffer dogs and helicopters, searched the Toronto airport and an undisclosed radius outside the grounds, Constable Wendy Sims, of Peel Regional Police, said.

"We were looking for pretty much anything of a suspicious nature. The search was thorough and it came up negative," she said.

From Montreal, the plane was flown to Hamilton's international airport, where it was met by heavily armed police and searched when it landed.

Nothing suspicious was found on board and no one has been taken into custody, officials said.

''The threat was at Pearson airport and that is why the flight was asked to land at Mirabel," said David Collenette, the Minister of Transport. "The matter is now being investigated by the RCMP, CSIS, Transport Canada and the Peel Regional Police."

Peter Coyles, a spokesman for Transport Canada, said the agency would not elaborate on the nature or source of the threat for security reasons.

"We took this action for prudent, precautionary measures to protect the travelling public by having that plane diverted to Mirabel. We've been in a heightened level of security since Sept. 11," Mr. Coyles said.

An Israeli source said the threat did not originate from one of the passengers on board the aircraft, but was "external."

"The origin of the threat is still under investigation. We're still investigating the security issues as to whether it was on the plane or on the ground," Const. Sims said.

The daily overnight flight from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles via Toronto was scheduled to touch down in Canada at 6:10 a.m.

It was not until 5:30 a.m that police at Toronto's airport were notified of the threat.

Transport Canada diverted the plane to Montreal, where it landed at about 6:45 a.m., and was refuelled. Around 9 a.m., again at Transport Canada's direction, it was sent to Hamilton, where it landed at 10:20 a.m., officials said.

Most of the passengers -- about 110 of the 193 on board -- were planning to leave the plane in Toronto and the airline made arrangements for them to be bused from Hamilton directly to the arrivals level of Toronto's Terminal 3, their original destination.

They were to pass through Canada Customs at the Hamilton airport before being driven to Toronto.

The fresh flight crew that was scheduled to replace the El Al crew when it landed in Toronto was driven under police escort to Hamilton to take control of the plane.

The plane, with the new crew and remaining passengers, then left for L.A. around 1:45 p.m. for the five-hour flight.

The threat was likely not a mere prank, officials said.

"From our long experience, when we face threats they are always concrete," said Ofir Gendelman, spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Ottawa. "We are still investigating what happened."

Passengers said they were told on approach to Toronto only that there was a security threat and that the plane was being diverted.

Shawn Davidson, from the Kitchener, Ont., area, said people on the plane were calm, although they had little information.

"Nothing was said, so you let your imagination run."

Mr. Davidson said he was not concerned because "El Al is the safest airline in the world."

Palestinian terrorists and their left-wing sympathizers began targeting El Al in 1968, and the carrier now has what are considered the most rigorous security standards in the airline industry.

Last July, a 41-year-old Egyptian armed with two handguns opened fire on the El Al ticket line at Los Angeles airport, killing two people and wounding three others. The FBI called it an act of terrorism.

No other flights were affected by yesterday's incident.

© Copyright 2003 National Post

[Zoner]

Whoa. That's pretty fucked up right there.

[Ferich]

wallh4x

[Sergeant_Scrotum]

awsome sig Zoner rock:

[Short Hand]

I wonder what would be the reaction if the plane was shot at during landing.