\r\n25 December 2003\r\n<\/p>
\r\nby Anai Rhoads
Veriana Media<\/i>\r\n<\/p>
\r\n<\/p>
\r\nAmerica was swamped with a steady stream of media days before Christmas as the terror\r\nalert rose from yellow to orange to reflect the urgency. Intelligence reports came through\r\nwith what was considered to be an intense level of chatter.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nThis understandably invoked a sweeping panic among the administration which prompted officials\r\nto hit the airwaves to announce that America must remain vigilant in the event of attacks. As\r\nwith any warning, one must take it seriously. But the concern over Crying Wolf had top\r\nofficials weighing the risks carefully before announcing the threat level change to orange.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nSix Air France flights between Paris and Los Angeles were cancelled for two days after \r\nU.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell notified France that suspicious people had purchased\r\ntickets for those flights.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nPowell, spoke with French Foreign Minister, Dominique de Villepin just hours \r\nbefore flights were due to depart from France to Los Angeles, California. It was believed \r\nthat overseas terrorists had masterminded a plot to employ French airliners to collide on \r\nU.S. soil. French Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin then ordered the planes to be grounded until\r\nfurther notice.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nFrance's Le Parisien newspaper did not hesitate to confront this issue after French intelligence\r\nsources told the media that it was a false alarm.\r\n<\/p>
\r\n\"The people with Arab-sounding names turned out to be, for example, a diplomat and a \r\nsports player. There were no terrorists,\" one police officer told the French newspaper Thursday.\r\n<\/p>
\r\nAll passengers on the flights, 450 in total, were checked by the French police and no \r\nterrorist connections were found. The seven men suspected of plotting against America included five \r\nAlgerians, one French, and one American. There were no arrests.\r\n<\/p>
\r\n©2003 Veriana Media. Reproduction must be authorised in writing only, and altering the\r\nmaterial and this copyright is prohibited and protected by international law. Please\r\ncontact Veriana Media for reprint and licencing\r\npermission.\r\n<\/p>
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