# the car in boston **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 12, 2001, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084 "2001-09-12T15:01:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/1 "2001-09-12T15:01:14Z")
jarhubby just called and informed me that the government was looking into a car abandoned at Boston’s Logan Airport, filled with Arabic flight manuals, pics of Bin Laden and the Koran. What convenient evidence. Doesn’t it seem like someone would leave that behind on purpose? He also tells me that there was some man on the news (and I’m hoping someone else will have a cite) that said he had gotten in a squabble and near fight with five ‘arabic men’ in the airport parking lot over a parking space…and that the arabic men said “they were going to miss their flight” eerie or what? jarbaby ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/2 "2001-09-12T15:04:00Z")
What’s you GQ, **jarbabyj**? ---
**Author:** ![jonfromdenver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@jonfromdenver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonfromdenver)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/3 "2001-09-12T15:06:56Z")
i believe the GQ is, does anyone have any evidence of this? because i would like to see some facts on this as well. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/4 "2001-09-12T15:08:04Z")
hmm…I guess it got lost in the shuffle. I guess this should be in IMHO, but doesn’t that car filled with arabic documents seem awfully ‘planted’? and I also wanted to know if anyone had heard about this new development, yet it didn’t seem mundane or pointless. sorry ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/5 "2001-09-12T15:24:29Z")
I’d say it depends on how similar those materials are to the stuff found in the [luggage](http://us.news2.yimg.com/f/42/31/7m/dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010912/ts/attacks_boston_airport.html) that didn’t make the connecting flight. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/6 "2001-09-12T15:31:16Z")
I think there may be two ‘car’ stories being conflated: [This](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/RTGAMArticleHTMLTemplate/A/20010912/wbord12092?hub=homeBN&tf=tgam/realtime/fullstory.html&cf=tgam/realtime/config-neutral&vg=BigAdVariableGenerator&slug=wbord12092&date=20010912&archive=RTGAM&site=Front) story discusses a car siezed at Logan airport that had Arabic flight manuals. [This](http://www.mycfnow.com/orlpn/news/stories/news-95735120010911-220905.html) story mentions a car sized at a Florida airport. This other car was the one that had a “a picture that resembled Osama Bin Laden and a Palestinian flag”. I haven’t heard that either car has been clearly linked to the hijackings. I think they’re just being treated as ‘suspicious’. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/7 "2001-09-12T15:41:22Z")
Thank you for the links. I still say a car filled with Flight Manuals In Arabic seems like a prop. ---
**Author:** ![Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinnie_Virginslayer)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/8 "2001-09-12T16:17:54Z")
You cannot eliminate the possibility that another terrorist group did this and is trying to frame Bin Laden for it. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/9 "2001-09-12T16:27:36Z")
Terrorist Groups don’t get much mileage out of acts of terrorism if people don’t know who did it. No group is going to frame bin Laden, and the people who rented and abandoned the car didn’t care about evidence like that. They’re all dead. ---
**Author:** ![Nymysys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f6c823/32.png) [@Nymysys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nymysys)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/10 "2001-09-12T16:31:40Z")
> [@](#): > > ## _Posted by Nymysys - 09-12-01 0539a_ \*\* quote: > > ## Police have seized a rented car containing Arabic-language flight training manuals at Logan International Airport, a source told the newspaper > > Okay, does this seem fishy to anyone else? We’ve got a mastermind operation that the experts say probably cost scads of money and took months, if not years to plan, and they leave a How To Fly manual in a car parked at an airport? An Arabic How To Fly guide? > > I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Does not compute to me.\*\* Jarbaby, we continue to live parallel lives. How the fuck does this NOT look weird? ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/11 "2001-09-12T16:43:14Z")
FYI, here is the original source for this from today’s Boston Herald: [WAR: Hub Terror Suspects ID’d](http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/ausattk09122001.htm) ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/12 "2001-09-12T16:46:38Z")
We can certainly imagine Conspiracy Theories, in which the attacks were carred out by someone other than Arab-speaking extremist Muslims, who carefully planted an Arabic flight manual to throw off suspicion. But, let’s not discount the fact that people who are under stress do stupid things. Even the most assured fanatic might be a little nervous on a day like that. We’ve all read lots of “World’s Dumbest Criminals” stories about people leaving their wallets behind at the bank they just robbed. IIRC, the perpetrators of the first World Trade Center bombing were caught when one of them tried to get back his rental deposit on the truck, no? An act of stupidity far less understandable than slipping up and leaving some papers behind in the car. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/13 "2001-09-12T18:11:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Thank you for the links. I still say a car filled with Flight Manuals In Arabic seems like a prop. As I said, I hadn’t heard that either of these cars has been clearly (or even vaguely) linked to the hijacks (someone please correct me if they’ve heard otherwise). It certainly seems possible that this car might belong to a legitimate Arabic-speaking airline pilot, and that it has nothing to do with yesterday’s events. I don’t think anybody knows at this point. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/14 "2001-09-12T20:45:06Z")
IMHO, it seems unlikely that the pilots ( assuming they were trained to the degree that seems plausible, considering their alleged roles ) would need to carry flight manuals ( in the car, upto the airport ) on the day of their planned attack. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Carpenter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Mr\_Carpenter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Carpenter)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/15 "2001-09-12T20:50:06Z")
This business of the props on the car are mighty suspicious to me too. I think the real stories are known by our government as they unfold and they will present another picture to the American People as they find out all the horrific nasties that these people wanted to unleash on this country. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/16 "2001-09-12T20:53:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MEBuckner \* > \*\*IIRC, the perpetrators of the first World Trade Center bombing were caught when one of them tried to get back his rental deposit on the truck, no? An act of stupidity far less understandable than slipping up and leaving some papers behind in the car. \*\* Does this make any sense? > [@](#): > > The Boston Globe reported one suspect’s luggage did not make the connection. The bag contained a copy of the Quran, an instructional video on flying commercial airliners and a fuel consumption calculator, the newspaper said. Consider the risk involved in taking items that show you are interested in the technical details of air-travel through airport security. Why? “I’d feel a lot more comfortable crashing this jet if I knew I had a fuel-consumption calculator locked away in storage.” Any baggage taken along would be useful only to reassure security that you are expecting to get off the plane alive and will want clean underwear. ---
**Author:** ![grayhairedmomma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/47e85d/32.png) [@grayhairedmomma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grayhairedmomma)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/17 "2001-09-12T21:09:24Z")
This didn’t make any sense to me either. My theory? I think that we haven’t seen the last of the attacks. I think that the “evidence” was left to throw the authority’s off track while the real perpertrators plan their next move. [sub][sup]Maybe I’ve read to many books and seen to many movies.[/sub][/sup] ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/18 "2001-09-12T21:23:58Z")
> [@](#): > > [sub][sup]Maybe I’ve read to many books and seen to many movies.[/sub][/sup] I think this may apply to a lot of people in this thread. Look, I don’t want to be doctrinaire in saying there couldn’t _possibly_ be something funny going on here. But I do think that saying “Oh, that’s _too_ perfect” or “Oh, it’s just too ‘pat’ to be true” is a fallacy, somewhat along the same lines of always discounting the possibility of coincidence in favor of conspiracies and deep secret meanings. In real life, _lots_ of things happen that are “too perfect”, where people say “Wow, if a fiction writer had written that, no one would have believed him!” > [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > The Boston Globe reported one suspect’s luggage did not make the connection. The bag contained a copy of the Quran, an instructional video on flying commercial airliners and a fuel consumption calculator, the newspaper said. > > Consider the risk involved in taking items that show you are interested in the technical details of air-travel through airport security. Why? “I’d feel a lot more comfortable crashing this jet if I knew I had a fuel-consumption calculator locked away in storage.” Any baggage taken along would be useful only to reassure security that you are expecting to get off the plane alive and will want clean underwear. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight we can naturally see that airport security should have summarily shot any passenger attempting to board a plane who appeared to be in training to become a commercial airline pilot, especially if they were foreign or something. :rolleyes: (And naturally, any terrorists would _assume_ that’s what airport security would do, because that’s what airport security in this country tradtionally has done, right?) > [@](#): > > IMHO, it seems unlikely that the pilots ( assuming they were trained to the degree that seems plausible, considering their alleged roles ) would need to carry flight manuals ( in the car, upto the airport ) on the day of their planned attack. Just as it’s obviously a very bad idea to assume one’s enemies are incompetent or powerless, it can also be a mistake to assume they are omnipotent and all-powerful and free of error. The hijackers were human beings (however evil they may have been). Human beings often feel the need to consult manuals before carrying out technically complex or difficult tasks, especially in stressful situations. ---
**Author:** ![Shaky\_Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90db22/32.png) [@Shaky\_Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shaky_Jake)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/19 "2001-09-12T23:40:04Z")
Well, the terrorists probably wanted to time their arrival at the airport within certain parameters - not too early, but make the flight. Ever driven to Logan? Some days traffic breezes on the expressway and through the tunnel; other days, it crawls for no apparent reason. It’s certainly reasonable that they made a “dry run” or two, and then on the fateful day…ran late. They end up frantic that they will miss the flight. The stuff in the car? I’m with **MEBuckner**. On the day of a big test, I cram, no matter how well I know the material. Before sitting for boards, I studied on the way to the exam, as if those last few minutes would do what years of study hadn’t. Looks like maybe they did too. And if they hadn’t got into that beef, that car would have sat there…and sat there…with the trail growing colder. Doesn’t seem too fortuitous to be true to me. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084/20 "2001-09-13T00:55:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MEBuckner \* > \*\*With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight we can naturally see that airport security should have summarily shot any passenger attempting to board a plane who appeared to be in training to become a commercial airline pilot, especially if they were foreign or something. :rolleyes: \*\* > \*\* I only meant that the only possible use that luggage would be of would be as camouflage… Passengers travelling without luggage are suspicious. Therefore, it makes sense that the person packing it would be thinking about being inconspicuous. Even friendly conversation- “Oh, you are a pilot?” would be unwelcome, wouldn’t it? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-car-in-boston/81084.md?page=2)