UPDATE 3 (21:50), The Times:
…One eyewitness at [the] attack in Glasgow, Jackie Kennedy, 46, a beautician from the city, described how she watched one of the occupants of the car douse himself in petrol and set himself alight.
“He had a big smirk on his face. He lifted up what appeared to be a five-litre drum, which I think had petrol in it, and set himself on fire,” she said. “His clothes were melting in front of my very eyes.
“The police tried to pounce on him but he fought back and was struggling with them. It was only when a member of the public punched him in the face that the police managed to restrain him. The police were trying to spray CS gas in his face but it was not working. I can’t believe what I have just seen. I have no doubt this was a terrorist attack.”…
I can’t believe the word “smirk” was just used. I used “smirk” below to describe someone else well known for his. Purely a coincidence that.
Oh, and the brave guy who punched out the “smirker”? He’s lucky to be in Scotland. In the U.S., he would probably have found himself sued.
_____________________________
UPDATE 2 (21:40): The Glasgow ”jeep crash” is apparently now “officially” a terror attack. The BBC reports:
The UK’s national terrorism threat level has been raised to “critical” after attacks in Glasgow and London.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged the public to be vigilant and added: “I know the British people will stand together, united and resolute.”
The announcement came after a meeting of the government emergencies committee Cobra, following a burning car being driven into a Glasgow airport terminal…
What a way to have to start his prime ministership.
…London’s Heathrow airport, Europe’s busiest, introduced “additional security measures” following the Glasgow incident, it said in an e-mailed statement.
Heathrow wants people traveling to and from the airport “to avoid using private vehicles where at all possible,” it said…
_____________________________
UPDATE (19:35): I’m told intellectuals’ celebrity reactions to the incident have, urrrr, begun to roll in:
Rosie O’Donnell (acclaimed structural engineer and religious scholar, on her personal web site): “I do believe that it’s the first time in history that a Jeep Cherokee has ever been driven into the passenger terminal building at Glasgow airport. I do believe that it defies physics.
“To say that we don’t know that the building imploded, that it was an implosion and a demolition, is beyond ignorant. Look at the films. The crash defies reason.”
Bill Maher (historian, international affairs expert, smirker [because smirking means I know more than you do]): “You know, Larry, I mean come on. We know the Brits stopped Hitler from crossing the Channel, okaaaaay. Are you telling me they can’t stop a couple of guys from driving a Jeep into an airport building? That they they didn’t see it coming?
“I’ll tell you what really happened. It’s because the parking is so expensive there, that’s probably why they did it. They are not cowards, in striking a blow for the freedom to drive a big American SUV and park wherever one damn well wants to. It’s the best example of the American way. Who says democracy isn’t spreading around the globe?
“We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That’s cowardly. Staying in the jeep when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it’s not cowardly.”
_____________________________
INITIAL POST: Sky reports:
Two people have been arrested after a burning Jeep smashed through the terminal building at Glasgow airport…
…The Cherokee 4×4 smashed into a glass door at Terminal One of the airport, the busiest in Scotland, which has now been closed.
Hundreds of holidaymakers were in the area at the time, and witnesses said some of them removed gas cylinders from the jeep before it caught fire.
But there are reports the occupants - described as Asian males - were trying to pour petrol on the flames.
Scott Gleeson said he saw the jeep speed up and swerve towards the terminal at an angle to hit the door.
“They were obviously trying to get through to cause as much damage as possible,” he said.
Holidaymaker Stephen Clarkson said he knocked one of the men to the floor before police intervened.
He said: “There was an Asian male. He was lying on the floor and he was on fire, the Jeep was on fire as well.
“The fellow got up and started fighting with police. I managed to knock the Asian fellow to the ground and four police officers got on top of him.”
He added: “His whole body was on fire. He was quite a big fellow and was disorientated otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to knock him down.”
James Edgar told Sky News: … “Everyone was in a panic and police and security were scuffling with an Asian gentleman.”
He added: “There was a lot of anger - if the crowds had got hold of this gentleman it would have been the end of him.”
Eh, there will be none of that sort of talk. You are never allowed to be “angry”.
More undoubtedly to follow . . .



2 comments
Comments feed for this article
July 1, 2007 at 12:26 am
Lorelei Leigh
Perhaps you’ll consider taking a break from taking all the crazies in the world to task and respond to the meme I’ve just tagged you with. Here’s the link:
http://throwingbullets.blogspot.com/2007/06/im-it-apparently.html
If not, it’s cool. No skin off my nose. Just keep up the good work on the other side of the pond!
July 1, 2007 at 11:27 am
Robert
Lorelei,
I don’t do memes (I did one once, and decided never to do any others), but thanks for thinking it worth asking me.
I hope you’ll accept a permanent link instead?