Belarus Accused of Plane Hijack to Grab Dissident

[zeppelin128]

This is like something out of a spy novel:

"This was a case of state-sponsored hijacking... state-sponsored piracy," Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary told Irish Newstalk radio on Monday.

"It appears the intent of the authorities was to remove a journalist and his travelling companion... we believe there were some KGB agents offloaded at the airport as well," Mr O'Leary said.

Later on Monday, Lithuanian officials said five passengers who boarded the flight in Athens did not reach Vilnius. "The latest... is that 126 passengers left Athens and 121 landed in Vilnius. This does not include the crew of six," a spokeswoman for the Lithuanian prime minister told Reuters.


Western powers voice outrage as Belarus accused of hijacking plane

 

[05_never_again]

Can you imagine being a passenger on that plane? Yikes.

 

[DEFENDTHISHOUSE]

As Anger Toward Belarus Mounts, Recall the 2013 Forced Landing of Bolivia's Plane to Find Snowden

 

[MG1968]

What a difference a generation makes. In the good old days of the Cold War, the CIA and the KGB, via proxies, would have just blown the plane out of the sky.

 

[zeppelin128]

Looks like the UK is first up to go beyond strongly worded statements.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

This is like something out of a spy novel:

"This was a case of state-sponsored hijacking... state-sponsored piracy," Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary told Irish Newstalk radio on Monday.

"It appears the intent of the authorities was to remove a journalist and his travelling companion... we believe there were some KGB agents offloaded at the airport as well," Mr O'Leary said.

Later on Monday, Lithuanian officials said five passengers who boarded the flight in Athens did not reach Vilnius. "The latest... is that 126 passengers left Athens and 121 landed in Vilnius. This does not include the crew of six," a spokeswoman for the Lithuanian prime minister told Reuters.


Western powers voice outrage as Belarus accused of hijacking plane

Hey hey…


That is just another reason to never go near Belarus.

 

[zeppelin128]

Hey hey…


That is just another reason to never go near Belarus.

If anyone does want to visit, it might be wise to post a nice blog praising Lukashenko before departing.

 

[volfanhill]

This is like something out of a spy novel:

"This was a case of state-sponsored hijacking... state-sponsored piracy," Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary told Irish Newstalk radio on Monday.

"It appears the intent of the authorities was to remove a journalist and his travelling companion... we believe there were some KGB agents offloaded at the airport as well," Mr O'Leary said.

Later on Monday, Lithuanian officials said five passengers who boarded the flight in Athens did not reach Vilnius. "The latest... is that 126 passengers left Athens and 121 landed in Vilnius. This does not include the crew of six," a spokeswoman for the Lithuanian prime minister told Reuters.


Western powers voice outrage as Belarus accused of hijacking plane

We scrambled fighter jets to make a commercial air craft land and we made up a terroristic threat ? I am no fan of how we handled the Snowden stuff but these are not nearly the same thing.

 

[Matt2496]

 

[Matt2496]

This statement by Ryanair sounds like it was written by the Belarusian government.

 

[05_never_again]

We scrambled fighter jets to make a commercial air craft land and we made up a terroristic threat ? I am no fan of how we handled the Snowden stuff but these are not nearly the same thing.

It isn't the exact same thing (i.e., we didn't do a phony bomb threat and scramble a fighter jet, and it wasn't a commercial aircraft), but when Morales was flying over Austria they were simultaneously told by France, Spain, and Italy that they were forbidden to enter their airspace, and they didn't have enough fuel for an alternate route. They were essentially blocked off and had to land back in Vienna, where they then searched the plane for Snowden. It was pretty damn similar tactic, and Morales was a Head of State at the time.

 

[Velo Vol]

This statement by Ryanair sounds like it was written by the Belarusian government.

And then they woke up and posted a "correction."

 

[Grand Vol]

I'm sure @SpaceCoastVol can confirm, but if a passenger airliner is informed of a security threat on board, they probably won't question it and put the plane down where instructed.

 

[zeppelin128]

This reminds me of that forced confession from the kid in NK that stole a poster or something a few years ago.

 

[LouderVol]

This reminds me of that forced confession from the kid in NK that stole a poster or something a few years ago.

I always love these Soviet style videos.

 

[zeppelin128]

I always love these Soviet style videos.

His girlfriend was also detained. I'm sure they aren't using that to get him to say what is needed.

 

[LouderVol]

His girlfriend was also detained. I'm sure they aren't using that to get him to say what is needed.

I need to learn Morse code so I can get the truth out when i get kidnapped.

 

[zeppelin128]

I need to learn Morse code so I can get the truth out when i get kidnapped.

Oddly enough someone in the replies to the tweet I posted asked if he was blinking in Morse code. I imagine that would be quite difficult to do while reciting memorized lines with a dude pointing an AK-47 at you off camera.

 

[Orangeburst]

Was Bette Midler on this flight?

 

[LouderVol]

Oddly enough someone in the replies to the tweet I posted asked if he was blinking in Morse code. I imagine that would be quite difficult to do while reciting memorized lines with a dude pointing an AK-47 at you off camera.

A US serviceman held by the Vietnamese, I think, did the morse code thing. That's what I was referring to and likely the comment as well.

 

[zeppelin128]

A US serviceman held by the Vietnamese, I think, did the morse code thing. That's what I was referring to and likely the comment as well.

I have never heard of this before; that is pretty wild he was able to do that while being questioned during a press conference.

"Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. ... While answering questions and feigning trouble with the blinding television lights, Denton blinked his eyes in Morse code, spelling the word "T-O-R-T-U-R-E"—and confirming for the first time to U.S. Naval Intelligence that American POWs were being tortured."

 

[volfanhill]

I'm sure @SpaceCoastVol can confirm, but if a passenger airliner is informed of a security threat on board, they probably won't question it and put the plane down where instructed.

Well when you also get the military jet "escort" plane you are going to do what your told.

 

[Orangeburst]

I have never heard of this before; that is pretty wild he was able to do that while being questioned during a press conference.

"Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. ... While answering questions and feigning trouble with the blinding television lights, Denton blinked his eyes in Morse code, spelling the word "T-O-R-T-U-R-E"—and confirming for the first time to U.S. Naval Intelligence that American POWs were being tortured."

Lieutenant Colonel Hambleton concurs..know your golf course,

 

[Grand Vol]

Well when you also get the military jet "escort" plane you are going to do what your told.

We do the same thing

 

[volfanhill]

We do the same thing

When have we scrambled a fighter jet, called in a fake bomb threat, and made a commercial airline land? Snowden was not nearly this crazy. It was bad. But not this level.