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December 08, 2005

Marshalling All the Facts About the Shooting

The 24-hour news cycle has its benefits. The official story of the shooting of the man by air marshals in Miami yesterday is already beginning to unravel, as expected.

CNN reports:

Air marshals said Rigoberto Alpizar announced he was carrying a bomb before being killed.

However, no passenger has publicly concurred with that account.

Does it not seem strange that not one other person on the plane heard the alleged bomb threat?

There is, on the other hand, one witness who told Time magazine that the victim never said anything about having a bomb:

"I don't think they needed to use deadly force with the guy," says John McAlhany, a 44-year-old construction worker from Sebastian, Fla. "He was getting off the plane." McAlhany also maintains that Alpizar never mentioned having a bomb.

"I never heard the word 'bomb' on the plane," McAlhany told TIME in a telephone interview. "I never heard the word bomb until the FBI asked me did you hear the word bomb. That is ridiculous." Even the authorities didn't come out and say bomb, McAlhany says. "They asked, 'Did you hear anything about the b-word?'" he says. "That's what they called it."

Then there's more about the police-state tactics employed on the innocent bystanders:

"I was on the phone with my brother. Somebody came down the aisle and put a shotgun to the back of my head and said put your hands on the seat in front of you. I got my cell phone karate chopped out of my hand. Then I realized it was an official."

And finally this:

[McAlhany] thinks the whole thing was a mistake: "I don't believe he should be dead right now."

(Thanks to William Anderson at the LewRockwell.com blog for the Time link.)

Posted by Mike Tennant at December 8, 2005 04:11 PM

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