Comments on: Hijacker Working at Heathrow Airport

By: suoersnail

suoersnail — Thu, 22 May 2008 07:50:31 +0000

Nothing surprosing here.

Large UK companies have been outsourcing and subcontracting to dubious employment agencies for years in order to avoid thier legal obligations as employers.

Its not surprisning they dont know who “works” for them.

Not as funny as the illegal immagrants paid to clean the Home Office thouugh.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:38:53 +0000

Despite all the CCTV cameras, no-fly lists, RFID passports, nail-clipper confiscation, databases and shoe-removal we can’t even keep track of ‘terrorist hijackers’ that we know about.

Security Theater: every show is sold out, and they always do an encore!

By: Eponymous

Eponymous — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:19:19 +0000

What makes a former terrorist potentially recidivist is not his methods, but his motives. The fact that he used a method similar to the 9/11 attacks clouds the fact that his motives were incidental and not ideologically anti-western or fanatical at all. I’d bar him from working at an airport due to his past, but otherwise leave the guy alone, he served his time. The job of security is to secure, not to stereotype.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 20 May 2008 09:01:54 +0000

I’ve worked at heathrow before, and the main (new) BA offices are close enough to the site to be considered “At Heathrow”. There are also existing offices just outside the perimeter fence, but inside the perimeter road but I don’t know what security is needed for there. It could be the BAA requirements, or just BA’s own.

I used to work at the BA Engineering base at Heathrow as a contractor and even then before 9/11 there was a minor background check to get a pass. When that was upgraded to an airside pass then a slightly more extensive check was made, but it’s still not even close to that of basic security clearance needed to work for the MOD.

But, I would still have thought being a convicted hi-jacker would not have been able to get any BAA security pass.

Would be a good place for a terrorist to get intel though….

By: Kaukomieli

Kaukomieli — Tue, 20 May 2008 07:24:56 +0000

If this was bad publicity for a company I could not avoid the feeling that a there is some serious astroturfing going on in the comment-section of this article.

By: csrster

csrster — Tue, 20 May 2008 06:38:04 +0000

This was the hijacking where, iirc, over half the “victims” (ie passengers) claimed asylum in the country they were hijacked too.

By: Sejanus

Sejanus — Tue, 20 May 2008 06:07:19 +0000

A stupid question: whats wrong with a hijacker working at the airport? I. e. Guys with a real hacking experience work at IT and security in specific :]

By: Timm Murray

Timm Murray — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:54:26 +0000

“Nazamuddin Mohammidy, 34, was one of a gang of nine that threatened to blow up an internal flight in Afghanistan, along with 173 passengers and crew, unless they were granted political asylum.”

. . .

“The men, who said they had taken enormous personal risks to organise secret schools for girls in Afghanistan, said they considered themselves to be allies of Britain in its struggle against terrorism. ”

These guys were trying to get political asylum from the Taliban, albeit in a questionable way. That’s quite a terrorist they caught, there. Next you’ll tell me I can’t fly with nail clippers.

By: askme23

askme23 — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:14:29 +0000

rats, this blog really has hit the skids. Too bad as I was startign to put thison my daily must read list.

Any suggestions for other security blogs?

By: Davi Ottenheimer

Davi Ottenheimer — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:50:05 +0000

Wow, you really have to read the story all the way. The guy not only served time in prison, but he was found to be part of a group seeking asylum.

I suppose motive does not appeal to some, but if a British national escaped from a foreign country by hijacking a plane to return home, he (or she) might be termed a hero and given a job anywhere they want…even at the airport.

Alas, now he only identified as a hijacker?

Here are the details I found enlightening:

“Mohammidy was jailed for 30 months for his part in the hijacking but all of the gang members later had their convictions quashed by the Court of Appeal, which decided they had been acting under duress as they fled the Taliban.

They went on to win a High Court ruling preventing the Government from deporting them.

In 2006 they issued a joint statement saying they were desperate to be allowed to work and contribute to British society.”