Release #04.032
August 5, 2004 

WASHINGTON, D.C. --- The following statement was issued today by Capt. Dennis Dolan, first vice president of the Air Line Pilots Association, International, in response to the arrests in connection with an attempted purchase of a MANPAD missile: 

"We applaud the agencies whose hard work led to the arrest of the individuals who allegedly sought to facilitate the purchase of a shoulder-fired missile to use in a terrorist attack. 

"This confirms the Air Line Pilots Association’s view that the most effective defense against this kind of threat is to take the man out of the MANPAD.  In the post-9/11 security environment, we have placed too much emphasis on chasing things rather than people.  Regardless of how much technology and screening we put in place, the first and best line of defense will always come from good intelligence and a focus on the terrorists themselves." 

ALPA, the world’s oldest and largest pilots union, represents 64,000 airline pilots at 42 airlines in the U.S. and Canada.  Its website is www.alpa.org.

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ALPA CONTACTS:  John Mazor, Linda Shotwell (703) 481-4440