The Era of Big Hijacking Is Over

“A man who tried to hijack a Paris-Rome flight and take it to Libya was overpowered by cabin crew during the flight and arrested when the plane arrived in the Italian capital.”

One man armed with only a small knife isn’t much of a hijacking plan. But there was still a time when the crew might very well have acceded to his demands rather than risk injury. That time is over now.

One does wonder, though, why a UNESCO adviser is suddenly trying to hijack a plane and go to Libya. The follow-up stories will be interesting.

FILED UNDER: Terrorism,
Dodd Harris
About Dodd Harris
Dodd, who used to run a blog named ipse dixit, is an attorney, a veteran of the United States Navy, and a fairly good poker player. He contributed over 650 pieces to OTB between May 2007 and September 2013. Follow him on Twitter @Amuk3.

Comments

  1. Neil Hudelson says:

    The article says he was a \n advisor to a delegation of UNESCO. Seems like it isn’t quite the same as an UNESCO worker, in the direct employer/employee sense. Does make me wonder how the Kazakh delegation vets their advisor.

  2. Prasad says:

    The persons who to this hijacking attempt they should be prosecuted and if the crime is approved then they should be punished to death then only no other person will act like this.

  3. Southern Hoosier says:

    All that actually ended on 9-11 when hijackings become terrorist attacks. You have to assume the worst about nut cases on planes.

    Prasad says:
    Monday, April 25, 2011 at 07:25

    The persons who to this hijacking attempt they should be prosecuted and if the crime is approved then they should be punished to death then only no other person will act like this.

    The death penalty does not deter terrorist, fanatics, and other nut case. It only stops repeat offenders.

    It the death penalty doesn’t even deter common criminals. England use to hang pickpockets in public. While the pickpockets were swinging from the gallows, other pickpockets were working the gathered crowd.

  4. jwest says:

    This incident should start a movement to scrap 99% of the TSA inspections.

    No group of passengers will ever allow an airliner to be hijacked again, even if the hijackers are equipped with deadly nail clippers. There are too many ways to conceal a bomb, so why bother checking for them?

    I would allow those with concealed carry permits to take their guns along on flights. It’s better to live with reasonable risk than with a false sense of security.

  5. Dodd says:

    There are too many ways to conceal a bomb, so why bother checking for them?

    Well, I don’t agree with that. But more rational, effective procedures could significantly improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of TSA.

  6. mantis says:

    The persons who to this hijacking attempt they should be prosecuted and if the crime is approved then they should be punished to death then only no other person will act like this.

    I’m going to ignore the poor writing and just point out that the death penalty is not really a deterrent to suicide bombers (not assuming this was a suicide terrorist attack, but still….).

    I would allow those with concealed carry permits to take their guns along on flights.

    Worst. Idea. Ever.

  7. jwest says:

    Dodd,

    In tests, the TSA has a hard time finding cartoon-like bombs (sticks of fake dynamite wired to a wind-up alarm clock). Considering the “underwear bomber”, the next stage is for a dedicated follower of Allah to fashion a C-4 dildo for insertion where inspections currently don’t tread.

    Once that incident occurs, the braintrust at the TSA will have each of us bent over at the check-in line. Of course, terrorists will be surgically implanting bombs in chest cavities by then.

    You simply can’t stop someone who is willing to commit suicide from making attempts. No government can guarantee our safety while flying, so the only question is how much freedom and privacy do we give up chasing something that can never be?

  8. Southern Hoosier says:

    Profile like the Israelis do.

  9. Southern Hoosier says:

    jwest says: Monday, April 25, 2011 at 10:38
    I would allow those with concealed carry permits to take their guns along on flights.

    I agree, as long as they have have been through Air Marshal School, carry the Sig Sauer P229, and be re-certified on their firearm quarterly.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Air_Marshal_Service