Bomb plot threatens rail system in France

March 3, 2004 7:02 PM

Bomb plot threatens rail system in FranceGive us money ($5M) or we blow up your tracks! And the threat contained hints on where authorities could find samples. Is this the start of a new trend, will the French Gov pay, and why France?
posted by billsaysthis (22 comments total)

[Indirectly via JRobb]
posted by billsaysthis at 7:02 PM on March 3, 2004

Why france? Because America "does not negotiate with terrorists." France on the other hand is fond of surrendering.
posted by woil at 7:18 PM on March 3, 2004

woil, are you serious?
posted by kickingtheground at 7:37 PM on March 3, 2004

Uh, maybe the extortionists live in France.
posted by xiffix at 7:38 PM on March 3, 2004

Yep, I definitely see some surrendering in France's future. Where's the 'obvious' tag again?
posted by Hankins at 7:41 PM on March 3, 2004

Well, the Euro's pretty strong right now.
posted by staggernation at 7:41 PM on March 3, 2004

Actually, that was the interesting part. On page 2 it says they asked for $5.2 million - 1 million in euros and the rest in USD. Strange time to be preferring dollars over euros. Perhaps they're less trackable, or easier to exchange in grey/black markets?
posted by whatzit at 7:43 PM on March 3, 2004

Perhaps they're less trackable [...]

I don't think that's the reason.
posted by spazzm at 8:05 PM on March 3, 2004

France needs to move ten or twenty degrees closer to the Bush Administration on the Iraq......errr......terrorism issue.
posted by troutfishing at 8:12 PM on March 3, 2004

Perhaps they're less trackable, or easier to exchange in grey/black markets?

In addition to those possibilities, I imagine dollars would be easier to spend in many third world countries, if you want to escape with your ill-gotten gains (dollars seem to be accepted damn near anywhere in the world - whereas Euros probably haven't spread quite so far yet).
posted by kickingtheground at 8:26 PM on March 3, 2004

posted by Dreamghost at 9:15 PM on March 3, 2004

HAR HAR HAR

It's a FARK-sponsored thread here in Mefi! And about the slimy French, no less! Yeeeeeeha!

[cue reality]

The US has not only negotiated but actually surrendered to both foreign and domestic terrorists.

The anti-abortion type, for instance; but also many others.

Anyway, carry on insulting your friends; who definitely exhibited a very different attitude when *you* got hit.

[cue Fark thread]

Hey, you got the bigger guns - so who gives a fiatch?
posted by magullo at 2:14 AM on March 4, 2004

deeply worrying, here in blighty though thanks to privitisation we need only rely on the contractors who are meant to maintain the track to neglect this important task leading to multiple crashes, death and rail chaos.
posted by johnnyboy at 3:12 AM on March 4, 2004

This is scary. However, it's not really poetic justice since these are probably domestic terrorists.
posted by ParisParamus at 3:58 AM on March 4, 2004

Where's Walter Matthau when we really need him?
posted by yerfatma at 4:56 AM on March 4, 2004

Paris - Unlikely. My studies have revealed that excessive brie, red wine, and heavy cream sauce consumption exerts a feminizing influence which reduces the likelihood of such atavistic behaviors. The manly American red meat and potatoes diet is much more succesful at breeding indigenous terrorism ( Dave Neiwert on the Texas Cyanide bomber case )
posted by troutfishing at 5:14 AM on March 4, 2004

it's not really poetic justice

Poetic justice for what? Did someone find WMDs in the last few days?
posted by Armitage Shanks at 5:43 AM on March 4, 2004

Saying that acts of terrorism can ever be justice, poetic or not, is pretty sick.
posted by Summer at 6:34 AM on March 4, 2004

This is like a James Bond villain come to reality. Coded instructions left in the personals and all.
posted by smackfu at 6:34 AM on March 4, 2004

Did someone find WMDs in the last few days?

Not the fellow Bush sent in, that's for sure.

But more to the point, any link between Saddam and Al-Qaeda unearthed lately?
posted by magullo at 6:43 AM on March 4, 2004

Thanks for the Pelham 1-2-3 reference. I actually thought of that film a few days ago when the NYTA announced it would be putting old cane-seated cars into service for it's 100th Birthday. As a lad, I remember the smell of older, smoke-tinged trains; the ones with the ceiling fans.

But this terrorism involves long distance trains; not the RATP/subway.

Poetic Justice? Because, each day, the discovery of documents reveals how complicit the French were with Iraw and Libiya (sp).

I don't want to see any TGVs derail and be blown up.... But it would be a spectacular target.
posted by ParisParamus at 9:47 AM on March 4, 2004

Why france? Because America "does not negotiate with terrorists." France on the other hand is fond of surrendering.

Well at least nobody will need to check Fox News for today's RNC talking points memo.
posted by Bag Man at 1:40 PM on March 4, 2004