Narrative:

We had 8 middle eastern appearing men on board who were very suspicious. 3 sat in the terminal until the third final boarding call PA and then they all boarded. We waited for a fourth man, who was detained at security. After he boarded, we departed for lax. Right after takeoff, passenger got up (seatbelt sign on) and walked to the back. The flight attendant, still in her jump seat, told him to situation down, that we're still climbing and the seatbelt sign was still on. They all seemed not to know one another but they would yell across the aisle to one another in their language. Passenger was up and about most of the flight. We had a female passenger get up and come back and started crying, saying that 'these men' were scaring her. Flight attendant reassured her and told her that we were aware of them! I worked the flight with the ice mallet in pocket and the other flight attendants in coach with wine bottles in their pockets! Passenger took a book over to another gentleman across the aisle and I walked by to see what book it was and it was in their language. I couldn't read the title! After we landed, we were all talking (flight attendants) and we found that these men befriended us. One by one, they would come to the aft galley and talk to us. We let our guards down and eventually took the ice mallet and wine bottles out of our pockets -- 'they were our friends.' one man would come back, he would leave and another would come back, really strange and really bringing attention to themselves. They all claimed to be going to las vegas but they didn't know one another. We hate to discriminate or point the finger, but this flight of men was very suspicious! We really felt towards the end of the flight that they were just scouting things out -- checking out the aft galley and watching us do our duties.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SUSPICIOUS PAX CONDUCT.

Narrative: WE HAD 8 MIDDLE EASTERN APPEARING MEN ON BOARD WHO WERE VERY SUSPICIOUS. 3 SAT IN THE TERMINAL UNTIL THE THIRD FINAL BOARDING CALL PA AND THEN THEY ALL BOARDED. WE WAITED FOR A FOURTH MAN, WHO WAS DETAINED AT SECURITY. AFTER HE BOARDED, WE DEPARTED FOR LAX. RIGHT AFTER TKOF, PAX GOT UP (SEATBELT SIGN ON) AND WALKED TO THE BACK. THE FLT ATTENDANT, STILL IN HER JUMP SEAT, TOLD HIM TO SIT DOWN, THAT WE'RE STILL CLBING AND THE SEATBELT SIGN WAS STILL ON. THEY ALL SEEMED NOT TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER BUT THEY WOULD YELL ACROSS THE AISLE TO ONE ANOTHER IN THEIR LANGUAGE. PAX WAS UP AND ABOUT MOST OF THE FLT. WE HAD A FEMALE PAX GET UP AND COME BACK AND STARTED CRYING, SAYING THAT 'THESE MEN' WERE SCARING HER. FLT ATTENDANT REASSURED HER AND TOLD HER THAT WE WERE AWARE OF THEM! I WORKED THE FLT WITH THE ICE MALLET IN POCKET AND THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS IN COACH WITH WINE BOTTLES IN THEIR POCKETS! PAX TOOK A BOOK OVER TO ANOTHER GENTLEMAN ACROSS THE AISLE AND I WALKED BY TO SEE WHAT BOOK IT WAS AND IT WAS IN THEIR LANGUAGE. I COULDN'T READ THE TITLE! AFTER WE LANDED, WE WERE ALL TALKING (FLT ATTENDANTS) AND WE FOUND THAT THESE MEN BEFRIENDED US. ONE BY ONE, THEY WOULD COME TO THE AFT GALLEY AND TALK TO US. WE LET OUR GUARDS DOWN AND EVENTUALLY TOOK THE ICE MALLET AND WINE BOTTLES OUT OF OUR POCKETS -- 'THEY WERE OUR FRIENDS.' ONE MAN WOULD COME BACK, HE WOULD LEAVE AND ANOTHER WOULD COME BACK, REALLY STRANGE AND REALLY BRINGING ATTN TO THEMSELVES. THEY ALL CLAIMED TO BE GOING TO LAS VEGAS BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW ONE ANOTHER. WE HATE TO DISCRIMINATE OR POINT THE FINGER, BUT THIS FLT OF MEN WAS VERY SUSPICIOUS! WE REALLY FELT TOWARDS THE END OF THE FLT THAT THEY WERE JUST SCOUTING THINGS OUT -- CHKING OUT THE AFT GALLEY AND WATCHING US DO OUR DUTIES.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.