A flight attendant who foiled a British man who tried to detonate explosives in his shoes on a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001 says he is pushing to return to his native England from his supermax prison.
Christina Jones, 61, said she was informed that ‘shoe bomber’ Richard Reed was trying to transfer from the Colorado prison ADX Florence, known as ‘The Alcatraz of the Rockies’, to a nicer prison closer to home.
‘I was contacted because they informed me that he had made an application to relocate back to the UK,’ Jones said.
Reed is serving life without parole after trying to plant a shoe bomb on a Paris-to-Miami American Airlines flight months after the September 11 attacks.
While it’s unclear which prison Reid will be transferred to, Jones said he was asked what his thoughts were on the possibility.
Christina Jones, 61, said she was informed that ‘Shoe Bomber’ Richard Reid was trying to transfer from the Colorado prison ADX Florence, also known as ‘The Alcatraz of the Rockies’, to a nicer prison closer to home.
Reed is serving life without parole after trying to plant a shoe bomb on a Paris-to-Miami American Airlines flight months after the September 11 attacks.
‘It was my understanding that they would always contact me with the updates they did before,’ he told the Mirror.
‘They asked for my opinion on his application, which of course was negative. I opposed his return to Britain.’
In addition, Jones claimed that Reid had recently been ‘missing’ from the prison system for about two weeks.
Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman Benjamin O’Kone confirmed that he was out of BOP custody for a short time.
‘There are several reasons why a detainee may be referred to as ‘not in BOP custody’. Inmates who were previously in BOP custody and who have not completed their sentences may be out of BOP custody for a period of time for court hearings, treatment, or other reasons.’
‘We do not provide specific information about the status of those not in the custody of the BOP for safety, security or privacy reasons.’
Jones was still bothered by the idea that he was not being kept on track.
‘His disappearance from the prison system is shocking to me. I understood that any new developments in his custody would be relayed to me. I want to know why he was not taken into custody and where he was.’
Colorado prison ADX Florence, also known as ‘The Alcatraz of the Rockies’
He was jailed in 2003 for trying to blow up a plane carrying 197 passengers by detonating explosives in his shoes. His shoes are pictured next to an FBI model as part of an exhibit at the Newseum in Washington, DC in 2011.
Reed has since been returned to ADX Florence.
He was jailed in 2003 for trying to blow up a plane carrying 197 passengers by detonating explosives in his shoes.
During the trial he told the court that he was an enemy of the United States and a ‘soldier of God’.
The court heard how the passengers complained of smoke in the cabin shortly after eating food on the flight.
Reid tried to light a match while sitting alone, while flight attendants told him that smoking was prohibited.
Jones was able to slow him down, hugging him, only to see him bite his finger so hard it left a permanent scar.
‘It’s a situation where you have to do something. At that point, there wasn’t much time to make a choice,’ he said.
The stewards and passengers were able to subdue him with plastic handcuffs, seatbelt extensions and headphone cords.
Reed was jailed in 2003 for trying to blow up a plane carrying 197 passengers by detonating explosives in his shoes.
Reid, who is serving life without parole in a Colorado prison known as ‘The Alcatraz of the Rockies’, attempted to bomb a Paris-to-Miami American Airlines flight. He put bombs under his shoes (pictured)
The plane was then flown to Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts.
Reid pleaded guilty to eight counts of terrorism, including planting a bomb on a commercial airliner, attempted murder and interfering with a flight crew.
Tests on the explosives later revealed that Reid, who had been denied access to a flight 24 hours earlier due to his agitated behavior, had been walking in rainy weather that made the fuse too damp to ignite.
His bombing efforts led to heightened security at airports around the world, with all airline passengers departing from the United States now required to go through airport security with socks or bare feet while their shoes are scanned.
Other countries randomly select passengers for screening.
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