No charges for Qatari diplomat after US flight
scare
WASHINGTON (AFP) - – A Qatari diplomat who sparked a national
security scare by joking about setting fire to his shoe on an
airplane will be released without charge, a US law enforcement
official told AFP on Thursday.
"It's expected that he's going to be turned over today to Qatari
officials. I don't know if he's still with the FBI or if he's been
turned over to the Qatari officials yet," the official said.
Mohammed al-Modadi, 27, the third secretary and vice consul of
the Qatari embassy in Washington was confronted by air marshals
late Wednesday after smoking a cigarette in an airplane bathroom
and joked he was trying to ignite his shoe.
The source, who asked not to be named, said that even though
smoking in airplane restrooms is a federal crime under US law, the
diplomat is not likely to be prosecuted.
"He has diplomatic immunity. If he was a US citizen, that's a
violation, but he does have diplomatic immunity," the official
said. "Only a foreign government can lift the immunity."
US air marshals wrestled Modadi to the floor of the plane during
a flight from the US capital to Denver, after he joked about
setting fire to his shoes.
His comments raised fears of a repeat of the 2001 "shoe bomber"
incident in which British national Richard Reid tried to blow up an
airliner using explosives hidden in his shoe.
Reid pleaded guilty in 2003 to trying to blow up an American
Airlines Paris-Miami flight on December 22, 2001 and murder the 197
people aboard.
Wednesday's security scare prompted fighter jets to be scrambled
and top White House aides to brief President Barack Obama.
The plane landed safely at Denver International Airport
following the disturbance, and US officials later said it appeared
the passenger was not trying to blow up the plane.
The State Department said Thursday it expected a quick
diplomatic solution to the affair, adding US authorities had been
in close contact with the ambassador of Qatar.
"We are satisfied with the seriousness by which they take what
has occurred. That's why we have confidence that this will be
resolved very quickly," spokesman Philip Crowley told
reporters.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, hinted Modad
would soon be sent home. "His ability to function effectively has
been significantly compromised," the official said.
Qatar's ambassador to Washington Ali Bin Fajad al-Hajari said in
a statement the diplomat had been traveling to Denver on official
embassy business.
"He was certainly not engaged in any threatening activity," the
ambassador said. "The facts will reveal that this was a mistake,
and we urge all concerned parties to avoid reckless judgments or
speculation."
The panic reaction also appeared to have been prompted by fears
of a possible repeat of the foiled Christmas Day bombing, when a
Nigerian passenger tried to blow up a plane by igniting an
explosive secreted in his underwear.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano praised the swift
actions of the federal air marshals.
"We always treat security-related incidents seriously until
verified otherwise, and thankfully this incident posed no actual
security threat," she added.
