What Really Happened When An Ex-Monk Hijacked A Plane Shutterstock
By Emilia David/Jan. 11, 2021 2:26 pm EDT
Plane hijackers can be strange people. Sometimes they have very legitimate concerns, but there are those whose requests are almost impossible to fulfill.
Take the case of Laurence James Downey, who hijacked Aer Lingus Flight 164 in 1981.
Downey, an Australian who was a former monk expelled for punching a superior, had been on a flight from Dublin to London s Heathrow airport. Five minutes before the flight was set to land, Downey went into the plane s toilet and doused himself in gasoline, explained
The fasten seatbelt sign had already been turned on, so flight attendants asked him to sit down. At that point, they did not know what liquid he drenched himself with, but he soon claimed it as gasoline. Downey held two vials with him, which he said was cyanide.
Security Correspondent, Prime Time
Cutting-edge forensic science is solving many long-term missing persons cases but, at the end of 2020, there are many unidentified bodies still lying in graveyards across Ireland, writes Barry Cummins.
For the first time ever, a list of unidentified bodies, where DNA is on file with Irish authorities or where gardaí are aware bodies exist, is being released publicly.
Such lists are subject to change at any time. At any moment a case might be solved or another body might be found. However, at the end of December 2020, and following extensive research by RTÉ, a list is being made public today (as part of this article) which detail 16 unidentified bodies where DNA is on file, and two other cases where exhumations should take place so DNA samples can be obtained.
Gavin Walsh s cancer diagnosis in 2010 at the age of 46 understandably came as a shock. Living in Florida at the time with his wife Ellen, the news that he had prostate cancer hit him like a ton of bricks.
The first step was blood tests. One specific test is a prostate-specific antigen (or more commonly referred to by its acronym, PSA). PSA is a protein produced by both malignant and non-malignant tissue in the prostate gland. However, these tests can yield a false/positive result. That initial first test came back positive. So, the medics re-ran them in the off-chance there was a mistake. They did this as they didn t want to prematurely do an invasive biopsy unless it was completely necessary, Mr. Walsh explained.