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Old December 24, 2001, 02:01 AM   #1
LASur5r+P
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Furtive movements on board?

We just received the news that a Sri Lankaan was caught on board an International flight with a bomb in his shoe.
If you had to take a flight somewhere what are some of the signs that you would look for to tip you off on suspicious behaviour? When would you alert the authorities?
If you don't see any reaction by the authorities, would you get off the flight?

Thank you for your opinion and thoughts.
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Old December 24, 2001, 04:07 AM   #2
Azrael256
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If somebody seemed overly nervous to me, I'd be suspicious. I know what people who have a fear of flying act like (I just look in the mirror), so somebody who is nervous for a different reason will stand out. I would also look for someone who is walking without swinging their arms. Humans naturally do that because it aids balance, and if somebody has something in their hand they don't want to swing around, it's going to look kinda funny. Obviously there are some other things. If somebody stinks of cordite, or if he has a vest made of dynamite, etc., but those things are much more noticeable.

If you ask a cop how they spot suspicious things, they probably won't be able to quantify it. It's impossible to come up with a set of rules as to how people will act, so you can't come up with very many "I look for this" type answers. The best way to spot somebody is to know how people on airplanes generally act. I can't really explain exactly what that means, but I tend to notice people who are out of place, or are acting strange.

If I notified somebody and they did nothing, I would most definetly get off the plane, and I would make REALLY sure that person's supervisor knew all about what happened.
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Old December 24, 2001, 07:04 AM   #3
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Mr Moderator, not sure if this is picked up in another thread - if so, my apologies.

I wanted to write given the guy has an ( apparent ) English name and Passport.

On the news over here, it is claimed he was identified by airline staff at check-in Paris as being suspicious. He was questioned by security but not detained. By that time he missed his flight and left the airport. He returned the following day, checked in and boarded without further questions.

Seems spooky as all reports indicate he was acting very strangely and most people around him became suspicious - though not detailed in the paper. Needless to say, Paris is now X-raying all shoes - feel sooooo much safer - watch out for killer braces next time!

In terms of what to look for - anyone who catches your eye whilst you conduct your constant area searches - you do stay in condition Yellow at all times in public don't you?

I establish a 'norm' and filter anyone deviating. If it's hot - everyone sweats etc. Main items are -

1. Anyone meeting my eye ( could be danger or they just fancy me - either way they MUST be unstable ). Or could be someone else in condition Yellow!
2. Inappropriate dress ( gets harder every year ).
3. Drape of clothing - particularly anything obscuring arm-pits, belt line etc.
4. Unusual carriage of apparel, bags etc.
5. Abnormal movement - typical stress reaction closes down fine motor control. If you are not used to it, try walking on stage in front of a crowd - and try to remember how to walk 'normally'!
6. 2 + 2 making five - in this case we had a guy with foreign looks, carrying a UK PassPort - of recent issue - with a name stereotypically Middle England.
7. Not sure how to spell this - Harangi. Getting into realms of ESP. Something feels/ smells wrong etc. Not going to argue this is a mental power - could be pheromones etc. Often, particularly if you hunt or practise, you will develope a sense for what fits a scene. Anything disdurbing that rings an alarm.

Forget hi-tech super spy books on this stuff - the best, bar none, is Desmond Morris - Man Watching ( quite old now ).
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Old December 25, 2001, 09:28 AM   #4
David Scott
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Oakleaf, your Harangi/ESP thing has been explained by psychologists. Many think that the basis of intuition is the accumulation of subconscuious memories and experience. Our brains retain a lot of stuff we cannot consciously remember. Under hypnosis, people have been shown to recall sights, sounds and smells from their past, that they could not consciously bring to mind.

Instinct happens when the subconscious brain makes an association of these memories, deduces something, and passes the result to the conscious mind without giving the reasons for it. The conscious mind just all of a sudden knows something, and usually it feels really certain about it.

The more experience you have in a certain area, the better your instinct becomes. A veteran linebacker can consciously "read" an offense, but the ones who go to the Pro Bowl are the ones whose instincts give them the extra edge that leads to sacks and interceptions.

The same goes for cops. My sister in law's late husband T.J. was a Texas Ranger. He told me that he was once after a really bad-ass pachuco, a guy who'd cut up a couple people in a bar brawl. T..J. was walking through a bunch of migrant worker's shanties, looking for Mr. Pachuco, when for no reason he can remember, he turn around just as Mr. Pachuco was about to swing a 2 by 4 at his head. The 12 gauge convinced Mr. Pachuco that it was a bad idea to hit a Texas Ranger. T.J. always said it was law officer's instinct that made him turn around when he did. Personally, I think his subconscious recognized the scent of fear from a desperate, cornered man, and maybe even felt the stirring of the air as the guy moved.
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Old December 25, 2001, 10:15 AM   #5
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How effective is security, any security, going to be on an inside job?
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Old December 25, 2001, 10:56 PM   #6
zot
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its going to come to a point where these terrorist stick C4 up their
butts and blow a plane up, are cavity searchs next?
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Old December 26, 2001, 07:26 PM   #7
HankL
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Quote:
what are some of the signs that you would look for to tip you off
Quoted out of context of course. Sorry LASur5r+P. In this instance the guy was very low tech in his method of detonation. No body cavity searches would be needed as only the persons with safety fuse protruding from their various orafices would need to be investigated.
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