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http://www.americanfreepress.net/07_21_02/BOMB-LADEN_U_S_/bomb-laden_u_s_.html BOMB-LADEN U.S. CARGO PLANE BARELY AVERTS MAJOR DISASTER As U.S. and British war hawks make plans to attack Iraq, the Department of Defense is using chartered commercial cargo planes to rush “missiles and warheads” to the Middle East, according to a respected German newspaper. Exclusive to American Free Press By Christopher Bollyn BERLIN—When an aging cargo plane, allegedly carrying U.S. missiles and warheads to the Middle East, had a complete breakdown of its electronic systems and requested an emergency landing at a major German airport, the respected newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) exposed the dangerous practice of using commercial carriers to transport weapons. Minutes after takeoff from the U.S. airbase at Ram stein, Germany, the electronic systems failed on a commercial cargo plane, a Polar Air Cargo (PAC) Boeing 747-100, chartered by the U.S. Department of Defense. The pilot, left with only its simple analog devices, was flying by sight in thick and low-hanging storm clouds over one of Germany’s biggest cities. The two-man crew notified ground control at Frankfurt airport of the equipment failure and requested to make a visual emergency landing at Frankfurt’s large civil airfield. To prepare for the emergency landing the pilot jettisoned some 25,000 pounds of jet fuel at 10,000 feet. Within minutes, two F-16 fighter jets from the U.S. airbase at Spandahlem, near Trier, were beside the 747-100 in distress, owned and operated by the Long Beach, California-based Polar Air Cargo, Inc. According to a July 13 FAZ article, the 30-year-old plane was carrying “dozens of tons of weapons, including solid and liquid-fueled rockets, and explosives,” which would have “destroyed more than the airport” had the plane crashed on landing. The information contained in the FAZ article suggests that the Department of Defense is taking great risks as it hastily prepares for war against Iraq. These hasty preparations include the use of cut-rate commercial freight carriers to covertly transport armaments to the region, a practice that clearly puts the civilian population at great risk. Frankfurt airport, one of Europe’s busiest, was under thick cloud cover as a storm passed through the area during the afternoon of July 10. The airport prepared for a visual emergency landing by PAC 3000 between 4:55 and 5:05 p.m. Fortunately, about 25 miles east of Frankfurt, the pilot was notified that the weather had improved at Ramstein. Escorted by the two F-16s, at 5:10 p.m. the plane landed safely at the base. The article said, “The plane had ‘military equipment’ on board, according to U.S. sources,” adding that the pilot was credited with having prevented a catastrophe. The author of the article, Dr. Udo Ulfkotte, told American Free Press that the plane was carrying “missiles and warheads” and that his information comes from sources within the German government. According to Ulfkotte, for at least 10 days before the July 10 incident other “heavily-loaded” Polar Air Cargo planes had been flying from Ramstein to an unknown Middle Eastern airport. He said he came across the information while doing his usual “security-intelligence scene” research in which he watches the movements of “Islamic terrorists” in Europe. He told AFP that there is probably a “political will” behind these sensitive leaks. As to where in the region these missiles and warheads were being transported, Ulfkotte refused to speculate. However, if PAC 3000 were bound for the Middle East, its late afternoon departure from Ramstein would guarantee that its arrival would be shrouded under the cover of night. In a story in which discrepancies abound, on July 15, five days after the incident, Ramstein Air Base finally issued a press release, although it misdated the emergency, placing it on July 11. Heather Miller, a spokesperson for the base, said it was Ulfkotte’s article that contained “incorrect information.” “We’re not sure where they got that information from,” she said. The cargo was “probably household goods” headed for the U.S. Air Force base at Dover, Del., said Miller. According to Ulfkotte’s article, Frankfurt airport asked the pilot a routine question whether the plane contained radioactive or explosive cargo. The PAC 3000 pilot, however, claimed “military status” and refused to answer, Ulfkotte wrote. AFP asked Miller why the PAC pilot would be unwilling to tell the emergency management authorities at Frankfurt airport that the plane was carrying “household goods.” Miller said, “I don’t believe they were asked.” AFP asked Klaus Busch, spokesman for Fraport, the company that owns Frankfurt airport, whether the airport had asked about the cargo. “Yes, it is true,” Busch said. “The airport is interested in knowing the nature of the cargo to be able and capable to handle what might occur.” While civil flight regulations explicitly forbid civil cargo planes from transporting rockets, military planes are not restricted. Any non-military plane transporting hazardous cargo over Germany needs a special permit from the government. The carrier and specific flight need to be certified. German aviation authorities told AFP that Polar Air Cargo has permission to carry hazardous cargo. Miller then confirmed that the flight of PAC 3000 was certified to carry hazardous cargo, although she added that a can of shaving cream could be considered hazardous cargo. “The things I have written are definitely true,” Ulfkotte told AFP. “I’m not anti-American,” he said. “The German authorities would like to know which story is true, but we have no chance of knowing what was on that plane.” While Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Dave Lapan, told AFP he had not heard of the incident, he said, “I don’t believe it is Department of Defense policy to use commercial carriers to transport hazardous and explosive materials,” such as missiles and warheads. Repeated follow-up calls to the Pentagon were not returned. The 30-year-old planes of the 747-100 series are considered obsolete in Germany and have not been used by German airlines for more than 15 years. Ulfkotte told AFP that it was much cheaper to use the older 747-100s than the newer 747-400s. Polar Air Cargo Inc. is a subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. based in Purchase, N.Y. Polar advertises itself as “a critical link in the international logistics chain.” Company spokesperson, Kristine Leathers, told AFP that Polar was involved in the “Air Mobility Command” by which commercial carriers are contracted by the military. There has been considerable speculation that PAC operates as a CIA proprietary contracting with the military for covert arms shipments. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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