U.S. Tells Foreign Airlines To Place Armed Air Marshals on Planes

The Bush administration has recently raised the terrorism alert level to orange, and now requires selected foreign carriers which have a strong possibility of carrying terrorists to place armed law enforcement agents aboard flights bound for the United States. To thwart terrorists, it also urged police to watch for suspects carrying almanacs that contain detailed information on U.S. landmarks.

The Department of Homeland Security announced that it will designate a 16-kilometer radius around Las Vegas airport as flight restricted area for six hours from 9:00 p.m. December 31 to 3:00 a.m. January 1. As a result of that, all passenger flights will be prohibited from entering the designated area except for military and commercial flights. Las Vegas, a popular tourist destination, is likely to draw approximately 2 billion visitors around holiday season.

▽ Armed air marshals on flights

: When intelligence information shows signs of a potential threat on certain flights, the Department of Homeland Security will require foreign airlines to put armed air marshals aboard, regardless of the nationality. Foreign airlines risk being denied access to American airspace if they do not obey this new U.S. directive.

The British government accepted the new U.S. measure, saying that armed air marshals disguised as passengers will be deployed on selected flights.

The British Pilots and Flight Attendants Association, however, opposed the new U.S. directive immediately. The British airline said that it would be better to cancel flights if flying is dangerous enough to place armed law enforcement agents aboard. The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA), the largest trade union of pilots in Britain, also criticized the order, noting that pilots will deny all flights bound for U.S.

The pilots association in Mexico also expressed its opposition against the U.S. measure, saying that it is much more dangerous to put firearms on board since it could be a real threat for passengers and airplanes alike.

The director of the regional office (in Washington) of International Air Transportation Association said that it will cooperate with the U.S., but expressed concern that more losses will be likely than gains under the new measure.

▽ Almanac carriers will be closely watched

: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) urged police to be alerted for people carrying almanacs since it could be used for terror tool. The FBI intelligence bulletin sent to law enforcements agencies warned that terrorist operatives may rely on almanacs to assist with their terrorist activities since the information typically found in almanacs that could be useful for terrorists includes profiles of cities and states and information about waterways, bridges, dams, reservoirs, tunnels, buildings, and other U.S. land marks. The bulletin called for police to watch for suspects carrying almanacs, especially if they include suspicious notations or marks. The FBI noted that the use of almanacs could be innocent, but when combined with suspicious behavior a person with an almanac should be closely watched and reported to the U.S. Joint Terrorism Task Force.

“While we doubt that our editorial content would be of particular interest to people who would wish to do us harm, we will certainly cooperate to the fullest with national authorities at any level they deem appropriate," publisher of the Farmers’ Almanac, John Pierce, said.

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