WPvsMW wrote:
Apparently the ruling as it stands now only addresses his competency to stand trial. His mental state at the time appears less well settled. Assistant U.S. Attorney Morgan Early is on court record as saying that Uskanli suffers from a "major mental illness."
At LAX he broached security at 2:00AM and asked an airport employee where he could find something to eat. The employee alerted police who then charged Uskanli with trespass and released him. Police said the smelled alcohol on his breath but did not find that unusual at 2:00AM. Nothing about his behavior at the time indicated more than someone who probably drank too much and started to wander around looking for food.
Apparently he did not rush to the front of the aircraft. One passenger described his movement to the front as, "He was very quiet, moving very sluggish.” American also said he was not restrained but his computer was duct-taped to the crew carry-on luggage so that if it was a bomb the explosion would need to expend energy on the luggage before reaching the cabin. Again, Uskanli was not restrained for the remainder of the flight however an off duty police officer police officer sat with him and prevented him from taking another field trip.
I applaud the flight crew because a small explosion from a device resting against the aircraft can cause significant damage. The luggage barrier would absorb the blast from most explosives that can be fitted into a laptop unless it is military grade or exotic.
He is a Turkish citizen and his US visa has now been revoked. If the US insists on a trial then so be it but trial or not the best thing we could do. Just send him home and permanently revoke his right to return to the US. The last thing we need to do is imprison him and then deport him afterward. That is just throwing money away on the prison sentence. My sense is that he was not acting out of malice and is indeed someone suffering from severe mental illness . If that is the case then prison would not only be a waste of money but probably make things worse rather than serving as punishment or rehabilitation