"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
Update 14: Passengers: Alpizar Didn't Say 'Bomb'
12.09.2005, 10:11 AM

From the AP

The airline passenger shot to death by federal marshals who said he made a
bomb threat was agitated even before boarding and later appeared to be
desperate to get off the plane, some fellow travelers said.

One passenger said he "absolutely never heard the word 'bomb' at all"
during the uproar as the Orlando-bound flight prepared to leave Miami on
Wednesday.

Federal officials say Rigoberto Alpizar made the threat in the jetway,
after running up the plane's aisle from his seat at the back of the
jetliner. They opened fire because the 44-year-old Home Depot employee
ignored their orders to stop, reached into his backpack and said he had a
bomb, according to authorities.

- - -

Some passengers, including John McAlhany, said they believe Alpizar was no
threat to anyone.

McAlhany, a 44-year-old construction worker who was returning home from a
fishing trip in Key West, said he was sitting in Seat 21C when he noticed
a commotion a few rows back.

"I heard him saying to his wife, 'I've got to get off the plane,'"
McAlhany said. "He bumped me, bumped a couple of stewardesses. He just
wanted to get off the plane."

Alpizar ran up the aisle into the first-class cabin, where marshals chased
him onto the jetway, McAlhany said.

McAlhany said he "absolutely never heard the word 'bomb' at all."

"The first time I heard the word 'bomb' was when I was interviewed by the
FBI," McAlhany said. "They kept asking if I heard him say the B-word. And
I said, 'What is the B-word?' And they were like, 'Bomb.' I said no. They
said, 'Are you sure?' And I am."

Added another passenger, Mary Gardner: "I did not hear him say that he had
a bomb."

Officials say there was no bomb and they found no connection to terrorism.
--

Notice the new element? That the word "bomb" didn't come up until the dead
man was out of the plane, away from independent witnesses, and only within
earshot of the marshals who shot him?

How very interesting.

There is a possibility that the guy never mentioned the word "bomb" at
all, and that the marshals just shot him. If that is the case, it wouldn't
be the first time police shot someone they shouldn't have shot.

Anyone remember Amadou Diallo?

Four policement fired fired 41 shots, killing Diallo, claiming they
believed the African immigrant was reaching for a gun when, in fact, the
unarmed man was trying to pull out his wallet.

Naturally, the four cops were were acquitted of all charges.

Is the shooting of Rigoberto Alpizar another one of those cases?
- - -


Even if he did not say bomb, his actions speak for themselves. He was
nuts, not stupid. If you are on a plane and acting crazy, and a person with
a gun tells you to get down, and you reach into your backpack worn on your
front, expect to be killed!