The Daily Mail --
Authorities said Turkish-born Canadian citizen [Adam] Leon, also known as Yavuz Berke, was being treated for depression.
He had apparently left his girlfriend a goodbye note and his car was found at the airport in Canada with the keys still in it, America's ABC reported.
Leon led fighter pilots on a chase after he failed to respond to radio calls and other signals.
Mike Kucharek, spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defence Command in Colorado, said the Cessna 172 was stolen from about 2:30 pm yesterday from Confederation College.
Something tells me that this might be one of the last times we hear of Turkish-born "Yavuz Berke". From here on in the MSM will go with "Adam Leon", who "became a Canadian citizen last year." Y'know, kinda the way they've always gone with Marc Lépine (instead of Gamil Garbi). But, when they're trying to garner sympathy, they tend to go with Beverley Giesbrecht (ahead of Khadija Abdul Qahaar). Funny, that.
Yup, I may be right.
Adam Dylan Leon, 31, from Thunder Bay, Ont., was charged with one count of unlawfully entering the U.S. after he was interrogated by F.B.I. agents in Poplar Bluff, Mo., said Sgt. Dale Moreland, with the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
[...]
The RCMP, however, would not confirm the pilot's identity Monday night, saying only he was an adult male.
"We haven't confirmed the male's identity yet," said Supt. Tim Cogan. "I know there is a name flying around, but the RCMP has not confirmed his identity."
*****
So, let's recap the sequence of bizarre events.
Taking off from Thunder Bay around 2:55 pm ET, the Cessna allegedly piloted by Leon proceeded due south, flying into U.S. airspace over Wisconsin. The state Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, was allegedly evacuated shortly after 5:00 pm ET, "but police did not immediately say why." The plane was allegedly shadowed by two U.S. fighter jets, which allegedly tried to communicate with Leon and force him to land. Leon allegedly ignored the efforts to communicate. Eventually, he allegedly landed the Cessna at about 9:45 pm ET on U.S. Highway 60, near Popular Bluff, Missouri.
At this point, the story becomes allegedly more peculiar (almost screenplay comical).
[The chase] ended about seven hours later, in a Midwestern town of 360 people, inside a general store off a narrow, dirt road -- with the suspect sipping on a Gatorade, waiting to be cuffed.
"He just came in, got a Gatorade, tried to get a beef jerky, didn't have enough money, went over and sat down and just kind of watched people come and go," said Tammy Bailey of Simmons Grocery & Hardware in Ellsinore in southern Missouri.
It appears that he had been treated for depression as recently as last Friday.
Adam Dylan Leon, 31, is scheduled to be interviewed by U.S. Immigration authorities this morning. He faces one charge of "unlawfully entering the U.S." and, if convicted, could serve one year in prison. The wages of "joyriding" are detention.
*Update* Welcome cnn.com readers.
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7 comments:
Amazing how those F-16's were scrambled so fast. On 9-11 they seem to have been out of commission, I wonder why?
Hmm. Interesting question.
call me paranoid but does anyone feel uneasy about how this guy almost reached the states capital and brought the plane down under his own power. Also, there was a gap in time from when he apparently "parked" the aircraft under a bridge and when he was caught. God forbide, but what if he had a suitcase nuclear bomb or dirty bomb of some sort in the plane and made arrangements with someone already in the country to meet him at that exact location! call me crazy but i just find it amazing that he made it that far into american airspace headed directly for a state capital. In my opinion he should have been taken out before the us border was even on the horizon. especially post 911, and especially at a time where you know terrorist are plotting a nuclear attack at some point in future. Its just unsettling to me that he could have had anything in that plane and handed off to someone already in the country.
What! Why send the F16's a ground police escort would done the same thing. The F16's I am sure they have instructions not to fire. We can not even protect our own borders and the idiot running a president was to busy telling everybody how sorry he feels to been in a president of America, and apologizing for America be successful, and arrogant.
Man you Americans are paranoid. The guy was flying a Cessna 172, it has all the power of a tricycle. If it hit anything the Cessna would disintegrate.
Now for the crazies who said, wow what if he had a nuclear bomb on board? Do you think any group sophisticated enough to obtain a nuclear bomb would fly it across the border in a super slow Cessna? And do you think their target would be the booming metropolis of Madison Wisconsin? Nah let's forget about bombing LA, New York, Miami, or Chicago, let's bomb Madison.
Now as to his name. I know you Islamophobes love to make sure everyone knows when a Muslim or Arab screws up. But the news will call him his legal name which is Adam Leon. See when a white person does something he/she only represents themselves but when a minority does something they represent all of their people. How about we use religion & race in every news story? When a White Christian screws up, let's publish he/she is a white Christian. The papers will be littered with the words white Christian. You will soon change your mind.
This story is about a sad, pathetic soul who suffered from mental illness and tried to kill himself. He deserves our compassion not our scorn. I know compassion is unknown concept for many of you Americans. You should try, in 25-50 years when China is the super power and America is a third world nation, you will be relying on the world's compassion to feed you.
John P
Did you guys even read the story? The situation was entirely under control. He had enough fuel for 7 hours of flying time. When he entered U.S. airspace he was immediately picked up and intercepted. Being escorted by a couple F-16s is definitely what I would call "under control". The government is doing its job! Be happy. Well, the MILITARY is doing its job, which they usually do. The political side of war has always been the crux of nearly all our war/conflict problems.
He really didn't have to go to all that trouble if he wanted to die.
Suicide by fighter jet was the goal of a flight student who stole a plane in Canada, entered U.S. airspace and flew an erratic path over the Midwest with the military on his tail before he landed safely on a rural Missouri road.
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