In 2004, we reported on the odd goings-on aboard Northwest Flight 327 from Detroit to Los Angeles. We followed up last weekend, when Flight 327 was in the news again, as a result of the release of portions of a report on the flight by the Homeland Security department.

The segments of the report that were made public were not conclusive as to what was going on. For more information, Patterico contacted P. Jeffrey Black, a current federal air marshal who was quoted in a Washington Times story on the Homeland Security report. Patterico asked Black point-blank whether he thought Flight 327 was a dry run. He got a straight answer, and much more:

Do I personally believe flight 327 was a terrorist probe or dry run?

In my opinion, and based upon my experience flying hundreds of missions since 9/11, my answer is, yes it was. Do I know 100% for sure? No, of course not. Short of obtaining signed confessions from all 13 Syrian “musicians” involved, only they know for sure what their true intentions were for acting so “suspicious” during the flight. And this is exactly why the Inspector General’s report doesn’t conclude, without a doubt, that their actions were positively construed as a probe or dry run. The only people who know this for sure were allowed to freely leave the country and fly back to Syria without ever being thoroughly interrogated. And remember, a third of the Inspector General’s report is still highly redacted.

Black has much more to say that is of interest; suffice it to say that his opinion of the Transportation Security Administration is not high. He concludes:

So what is the moral of this story? Never depend on your government to save your life. It is the public citizen who is our first line of defense –– the John Does –– not the federal government. Stay vigilant.

Patterico's post and Black's letter are well worth reading in their entirety.

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Posted by John at 10:02 AM  |    |