Yemenis Questioned at JFK Airport

— -- Yemeni citizens trying to board a British Airways flight at New York's JFK airport are detained and questioned. A Russian symphony is kicked off a flight after breaking out the booze. An Iranian man is charged with trying to bring a gun aboard a Miami flight. Seven women sue terrorists over the deaths of their loved ones on Sept. 11.

31 Yemenis Stopped at JFK

N E W Y O R K, Feb. 20 — Several passengers were detained and questionedafter trying to board a British Airways flight from KennedyInternational Airport with improper travel documents for their tripto Yemen, police and airline representatives said today.

The passengers were scheduled to take British Airways Flight 116at 11 p.m. Tuesday bound for Yemen with a connection in London,said Pasquale DiFulco, a spokesman for the Port Authority of NewYork and New Jersey, which operates the airport.

DiFulco said British Airways notified the authority that severalof the 31 passengers on the flight were traveling on one-waytickets. The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force was called. Thepassengers were kept from boarding, he said.

Diana Fung, a U.S.-based spokeswoman for the airline, said someof the 31 passengers produced proper documentation and were allowedto board the flight and depart, but she did not know the exactnumber.

Jim Margolin, an FBI spokesman, did not immediately return acall seeking the number of people investigated and their status.

A police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said thetask force was concerned that seven Yemeni passengers had allbought one-way tickets, with cash, from the same travel agency. Itwas later learned that the seven people and three others on theflight did not have proper documentation to enter Yemen, the sourcesaid.

The source said the seven people in question had apparently beencleared after questioning.

"We have a very strict security system in place," said Fung,the airline spokeswoman. She said British Airways does not boardpassengers who cannot produce the appropriate documents for theirtravel.

The Yemeni mission in New York said it was not aware of anyproblems involving Yemenis on Tuesday's flight.

— The Associated Press

Rowdy Russian Symphony Booted Off Flight

L O S A N G E L E S, Feb. 20 — Members of Russia's oldest symphony orchestra were removed from a commercial airliner after becoming rowdy en route to a performance in Los Angeles, United Airlines officials said.

About 90 members of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic were aboard a flight from Amsterdam on Monday when some began talking loudly and bothering other passengers, airline officials said. After some refused to take their seats or follow crew members' orders, the members were escorted from the flight during a scheduled stop at Washington's Dulles International Airport.

After spending a night in a hotel, they were allowed to board another flight to Los Angeles on Tuesday and were still expected to perform at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion tonight.

"That 24 hours brought a lot of clarity for them," United spokeswoman Susana Leyva said. "From the moment they reached the gate area, they acted appropriately. In fact, they were very mum."

Leyva said the airline outlined a conduct agreement which would put the crew in charge during the flight.

"Our representative was very confident that they would observe all safety rules on board the flight," she said, adding that there were no other problems involving the orchestra.

Philharmonic spokeswoman Yekaterina Grebentsova said she doubted the incident was extreme as reports she has seen.

"All these talks seem to present some exaggerated rumors taking place on the background of a noticeably negative attitude toward Russia lately," she said. "Just look at the Olympics."

Airline officials said Monday's problems on United Flight 947 began after some orchestra members broke out bottles of liquor they had carried on board with them.

Known for years as the Leningrad Philharmonic, the St. Petersburg group traces its roots to 1882. It last toured the United States in 1998.

— The Associated Press

Man Charged With Trying to Bring Gun on Flight

M I A M I, Feb. 20 — An Iranian man carried a gunaboard a flight to Miami from the Caribbean island of St.Martin and was arrested at the Miami airport when he tried toboard a connecting flight, police and the FBI said today. Iradj Eftekharipour, 37, was arrested Monday evening on acharge of attempting to carry a firearm on a commercialaircraft, Miami-Dade County Police said. He was trying to board an American Airlines flight fromMiami to Reagan National Airport in Washington, FBI spokeswomanJudy Orihuela said. "He was going through a screener and they saw somethingunusual in his fanny pack," Orihuela said. Police said the black metal revolver was loaded with "sixprojectiles," which Orihuela described as rubber bullets. The man told police that he carried the gun "for his ownprotection," Orihuela said. Security at U.S. airports has been stepped up following theSept 11. attacks on the United States in which four planes werehijacked. Investigators were still trying to find out howEftekharipour had boarded the flight to Miami with the gun,said Orihuela. Eftekharipour is an Iranian national but may have beenliving in Illinois, she said. He was arrested by local policebut was expected to be transferred to federal custody today to face federal charges of carrying a weapon aboard acommercial flight.

— Reuters

Sept. 11 Victims’ Loved Ones Sue to Bankrupt Terrorists

W A S H I N G T O N, Feb. 20 — Seven women who lost men they love in theWorld Trade Center see their long-shot legal effort to bankruptterrorists and their supporters as a crucial step in reassemblingtheir shattered lives.

"My canvas has been wiped clean," said Tara Bane, one of theplaintiffs in a lawsuit against a litany of defendants it claimsare directly and indirectly responsible for the attacks. "I haveto take some kind of action. I will not give up on my life." Those named in the suit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Courtfor the District of Columbia, include accused terrorist mastermindOsama bin Laden, his al Qaeda network, Afghanistan's former Talibanrulers and the estates of the 19 terrorist hijackers. The suit also targets the governments of Iran and Iraq foralleged sponsorship of the terrorists; Zacarias Moussaoui,; theonly man U.S. authorities have so far charged in the attacks; and141 individuals and entities whose assets have been frozen by theUnited States since Sept. 11 for allegedly financing terroristoperations. The action seeks at least $100 billion in total damages. "Weintend to bankrupt them," lead attorney Thomas Mellon said. The plaintiffs are all Pennsylvania residents who lost familymembers when hijacked airplanes crashed into the World Trade Centertowers. They are seeking to have the lawsuit certified as aclass-action suit that would eventually include all victims of theNew York, Pentagon and Pennsylvania crashes. Describing, at times tearfully, final phone calls and hugs withthe men they lost, the awful day of the attacks and the nightmarishweeks since, the women said they are determined to irreversiblycripple the terrorists' ability to attack again. "Our goal is simple. We want to prevent all those responsiblefor our losses from ever inflicting such pain on others," saidFiona Havlish, whose husband, Don, worked on the 101st floor of thesouth tower. They emphasized that they have no intention of targetingAmerican companies. They also made it clear that, after months ofgrieving over past memories and lost futures, it was time forconstructive action. The women recognize that they may never recover any money — evenif they succeed at the difficult tasks of proving the culpabilityof the named parties and locating their assets. "We harbor no false illusions," said Ellen Saracini. "We knowthis is a difficult path we choose. We know our chances for successare limited. But we must do something." Sacarini's husband,Victor, was the pilot of the United Airlines flight that slammedinto the south tower. At the least, Mellon said, they hope to win judgments againstthe defendants that would prevent them from having access to theirassets around the world. Though millions of dollars in assets believed linked tosuspected terrorists have already been frozen worldwide, Mellonnoted that the United States and other governments do not have thepower to seize the funds. There have been several successful lawsuits against Iran, filedunder a federal law that allows victims to seek damages fromnations that sponsor terrorism. American terror victims haveclaimed millions from Iran's frozen assets. The government's victims compensation fund provides money onlyfor those who forfeit the right to sue — except if the suit isagainst a terrorist. Justice Department officials have said othervictims' families suing bin Laden, al Qaeda and the Taliban arestill eligible for the fund.

— The Associated Press