US Troop Planes and CIA? Jets still using Shannon
international |
anti-war / imperialism |
news report 
Thursday June 15, 2006 14:27
by Edward Horgan - PANA
N750JJ??
Shannon airport is being heavily used today by the US military to move troops to and from the Middle East. Between 9am and 10am there were three troop carriers, World Airways, ATA, and North American at the airport with over 500 troops on board, and likely to be carrying about 500 M-16 automatic rifles, and the same number of 9mm automatic pistols, and assorted munitions.
Military prisoners in shackles may also have been on board, as this is a regular practice by the US military.
Also at the airport was an executive jet, that has been reported as making frequent visits to RAF bases, N750JJ. Further investigation is called for, but this is unlikely to come from the Gardai, who have ignored the vast majority of complaints, or requests for searches of US aircraft, made to them so far.
Nevertheless, I made the statement of complaint and request for aircraft to be searched which is included below.
Statement of Edward Horgan, Newtown Castletroy, Limerick
Taken by Garda Ciaran Kennedy, Shannon Garda Station
At about 10am [Thursday 15th June 2006] I observed two aircraft, one ATA, American Transair, the other North American, on the runway at Shannon airport. I believe both are carrying armed troops. I have reason to believe that in both cases there are weapons in the hold and in the main cabin of the aircraft. These weapons include M-16 automatic rifles and automatic pistols. I believe there are munitions on board including 9mm and 5.56mm bullets. I request that these two planes be searched immediately because their presence at Shannon airport contravenes the Hague Convention V 1907. If anyone reads the Hague Convention, they will see quite clearly that these aircraft are in breach of international laws of neutrality.
I also request that these aircraft be searched to ensure that they are not carrying prisoners in contravention of the UN Convention on Torture.
Also aircraft number N750JJ parked near the Westair Hanger should be searched and checked to ensure that it is not a CIA Rendition for Torture aircraft. Any prisoners on board should be removed by Gardai and their freedom restored. Any armed soldiers aboard should these aircraft should be arrested and interned under the Hague Convention. I have read over this statement and it is correct,
Signed by Edward Horgan,
Witnessed by Ciaran Kennedy Garda. 31243F
In the meantime I have established that Aircraft Reg No N750JJ is a Cesna 750 type aircraft registered as owned by JJ Gumberg, at Pittsburgh, USA, and that it makes regular visits to RAF bases. There are suspicions that it may be CIA owned or that it may be used at times by the CIA.
Comments (4 of 4)
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Thank you for continuing this fight no matter what - I do appreciate it.
Today was the 2500th American soldier to die in Iraq.
There's also 20,000 wounded, 10000 wounded in a perm manner.
and also 100000+ untold iraqis we will never know the names and faces of.
Then theres the others that will die and be mamed in the future because of the complicity or lack of action by other governments (like Ireland's) around the world to confront the criminal Bush Admin.
and the band played on until the Titantic completely sank.
Quote of the day....
REPORTER: Tony, American deaths in Iraq have reached 2,500. Is there any response or reaction from the President on that?
TONY SNOW (White House Spokesman): It's a number. And every time there's one of these 500 benchmarks, people want something.
Is that all?
How many people die from guncrime in US cities every year?
It's safer to live in Iraq.
Another troop carrier landed in Shannon Warport yesterday. Our man on the inside was there to greet it - Ed Horgan.
I was in Dublin yesterday covering the Bleach Lough Campaign.
A little after 10.00am I was phoned by Ed Horgan. He told me of an American plane that had landed at 10.00am, carrying troops etc. He told me that he had contacted Shannon Gardaí and had requested that they search the plane. As usual he got a vague and non-committed reply to this.
Whilst I was in Leinster House yesterday for lunch, I cornered Conor Lenihan and asked him what he thought about all this. After rubbing his nose vigorously for about ten seconds, a security operative came over and rescued him from me.
I phoned Ed a short while ago to see if anything further had developed. As per usual, Ed had again been left in the dark, and didn't know whether the plane had been searched or not (though he has good reason to believe that it wasn't). He suggested that I contact the Gardaí in Shannon to see if they had followed up on his request. Which I promptly did.
After explaining myself to the Garda who answered the phone to me, I was connected to a Sergeant (who shall remain nameless). I informed him of my name and my association with Indy. When I mentioned Indy, he went on the defensive. He told me that he was not prepared to answer any questions put to him by Indymedia, due to the 'fact' that over the years that Indymedia had 'misquoted' the Gardaí from Shannon on many occasions. He was very polite and assured me that he wasn't getting at me in person.
I informed the Sergeant about the request that Ed had put to Shannon Gardaí, and told him that I was just following up on this and trying to find out if the plane had been searched. He refused to comment further. We exchanged pleasent farewells, and I hung up.
So dear readers, was the plane searched?
Where and when have we misquoted Shannon Gardaí?
Are the Government trying to ensure that Shannon Gardaí take 'the fall' for all this? (remember Mr. Ahern gushing the other day that the Gardaí ought to now think about searching planes, after it became public that a shackled prisoner had been transported through Shannon Warport.)
For what it's worth, I'm not trying to either bait or entrap the Gardaí in Shannon. I know they're between a rock and a hard place in all this. I know tempers have flared in the past and I know some of the conflicts that have developed between them and us are as a result of moves from above. Please don't become the scapegoats in all this.
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