from BBC News online
Thursday, 4 July, 2002, 19:22 GMT 20:22 UK
At least two people, including an unidentified gunman, have been shot dead at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), American officials have said.
A number of people have also been wounded, reports say.
The shooting is reported to have taken place near the ticket office of the Israeli airline El Al.
News of the shooting came as US cities were on high alert for possible attacks as Americans celebrate Independence Day.
The airport terminal has been closed as ambulances and police cars arrived at the scene to take away victims.
The shooting occurred before midday after the gunman approached someone at the Tom Bradley International Terminal and opened fire, police said.
“We were at the Korean air terminal, we were upstairs when the shooting broke out,” passenger Thad Weimlein told KCBS TV network.
“There were probably eight to 10 shots, people were running and screaming, hitting the floor,” he said.
By: skythe - 5th July 2002 at 20:52
RE: Sticking with EL AL
About the Ukranian incident :
Ukraine says will investigate missile flash seen by El Al pilot
By Yossi Melman, Ha’aretz Correspondent, News agencies
Ukrainian government officials told Israeli officials Friday that it was prepared to work with Israel in its investigation of an incident in which the pilot of an El Al flight reported seeing a surface-to-air missile explosion as he flew over the Ukraine the previous day.
The El Al flight was en route from Tel Aviv to Moscow.
With the announcement Ukrainian officials were not denying the possibility that they were connected to the incident. They said that they had thoroughly investigated the matter and that they were not connected to it.
The report seemed to be confirmed by the pilot of a Ukrainian plane who also reported seeing a flash in the sky.
Transport Minister Ephraim Sneh said the Israeli plane was never in danger and voiced doubt it had come under attack.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said Ukraine had not conducted any missile launches since accidentally downing a Russian airliner on a flight last October from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk in Siberia, killing 78 passengers and crew.
Sneh said he had spoken at length with the El Al pilot, whom he described as an experienced combat veteran of the Israeli air force.
“There is no doubt that he saw a missile that exploded in the air, apparently far from the plane,” Sneh told Army Radio. “Circumstances suggest it was not launched at the El Al plane.”
Reports of the purported missile launch followed an attack at an El Al counter at Los Angeles airport in which a gunman killed two people before security guards shot him dead.
The Ukrainian government said the military had not fired a missile. “At that time there was no military training with shooting in Ukraine,” Defense Ministry spokesman Kostiantyn Khivrenko said. “Nobody shot even from cannons and automatic rifles, not only in that direction, but in all Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma said that since an errant missile shot down a Sibir Airlines plan over his country on Oct 4, killing all 78 passengers, most of them immigrants to Israel, “all missile exercises in Ukraine have been banned.” Kuchma was speaking during a trip to Copenhagen, Denmark.
Amos Shapira, El Al’s managing director, told Army Radio: “The pilot saw a flash…It was at least 10 to 100 miles (16 to 160 km) away. The plane was in no danger.”
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U.N. Representative: So, Mr. Evil –
Dr. Evil: It’s Dr. Evil, I didn’t spend six years in Evil Medical School to be called “mister,” thank you very much.
By: Saab 2000 - 5th July 2002 at 16:51
Sticking with EL AL
Also sticking with EL AL,one of their aircraft was nearly shot down over Ukraine.The flight from Tel Aviv to Moscow is reported to of been shot at by the military though they seem to of denied this.
Seems familiar to what happened to the TU-154.
By: greekdude1 - 5th July 2002 at 08:48
RE: Shooting at LAX!
The small plane that went down did so about 15 minutes from where I live. It’s a very popular regional park with a lake, especially crowded on the 4th of July. Bracket airport, from which it originated, is literally next door. Originally, the pilot survived but he eventually died at the hospital. As far as LAX goes, good thing I’m flying out of there on the 5th rather than the 4th. It would have been a mess. I’m flying UA to Sydney via Aukland on the initial leg of my “world tour.”
GD1
By: kev35 - 4th July 2002 at 22:03
RE: Shooting at LAX!
10pm news on BBC suggests the shooting might have been as a result of some work related dispute while an Israeli spokesman has said it is terrorism as it occurred at EL AL check in.
If this was a terrorist attack, thankfully it has resulted in far less casualties (three dead including the gunman), than one may have expected.
Whatever the reason, this attack will do little to calm fears over security.
regards,
kev35
By: andrewm - 4th July 2002 at 21:16
RE: Shooting at LAX!
I dont think this is a terrorist job as they are small scale indidents with very little effect on the world.
More from BBC:
In a separate incident, a small plane has crashed into a crowd of people near a theme park east of Los Angeles, critically injuring six people, officials said.
The crash in San Dimas, California, about 50 kilometres (35 miles) east of Los Angeles, happened at about midday (1900 GMT), a Los Angeles Fire Department official said.
Regards,
AnDrEw M
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July 4, 2002 at 7:31 pm