US asks France to hunt airline terror suspect
Reuters, Paris
France said it was hunting Wednesday for a suspect sought by the United States over a security scare that forced a spate of airline cancellations and delays to US-bound flights in December. A judicial source said France's DST state security office was looking for an Afghan listed in the United States as a terrorist and suspected of preparing an attack against a canceled December 24 flight from Paris to Los Angeles. "I confirm that we are looking for someone. I cannot tell you anything more," French Justice Minister Dominique Perben told RMC radio. Despite the fresh jitters, European airline stocks surged as strong traffic and earnings figures from British Airways offered signs that passenger safety worries were easing. The US television channel ABC reported on Tuesday the man, a passenger who failed to show up for the flight, was suspected of links to the militant al-Qaeda network and might have a small bomb to attack planes. The French interior ministry said intelligence services were unable to confirm the report and a US law enforcement official said idea the suspect was Afghan was "definitely not right."
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