LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Top Scientologist leaders once went to great efforts to stop an online prankster from embarrassing Tom Cruise, a prominent church member. A Scientologist executive leaked the documents that revealed the lengths to which the church went to prevent a student from playing a practical joke on the actor.
The controversial church allegedly tried to block the airspace over the Los Angeles premiere of 'Mission: Impossible III' in 2006 to prevent the prankster from flying "insulting" airplane banners targeted at Cruise and his controversial religion. According to the Daily Mail, the person responsible for the joke was 21-year-old Stephen "Josh" Schofield.
Who is Stephen 'Josh' Schofield?
According to the documents, Schofield, a student of Central Florida student, organized for two planes to fly banners, by using around $3,300 raised through an online forum, over the premiere's venue, Grauman's Chinese Theater, on May 4, 2006, making fun of Cruise and Scientology.
The goal of the banners was to mock Cruise's religion, particularly the "galactic overlord" Xenu from Scientology doctrines. Schofield told the Daily Mail that one plane was supposed to display a banner that read, "Hail Xenu." The second banner made fun of Suri, who was just a newborn then, and declared, "The baby belongs to Xenu."
How did Scientology prevent the 'Xenu' prank?
Schofield's plan, however, was thwarted by a concerted effort from the "Office of Special Affairs" of Scientology. The church's "Watchdog Committee" sent a letter in April 2006 warning of the student's intention to "put up insulting banners." Both of the banners were labeled as "both anti-Scientology and anti-Tom Cruise." The letter instructed the church's "Director/Commanding Officer in the Office of Special Affairs, International Division" to "find out everything you can about them and let me know at once."
Another letter was sent out detailing the group's attempts to prevent Schofield after his personal information was found and spread. Kiersten Caetano, a senior Scientologist, disclosed exceptional actions made to "ensure that this flyover is killed." According to Caetano's letter, the hoax pilot had been located, and Robert Boyland, the premiere's head of security, had been contacted.
Boyland met Scott Lachase, vice-president of Paramount Security Services and a former LAPD officer. They "contacted the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] regarding getting the airspace restricted." The church put together a "pack" of information to support its complaint after the FAA refused to close airspace in the absence of a "credible threat." The higher-ups in the organization were in high-gear to prevent the prank.
Even Scott Nelson, an ex-FBI agent, was consulted by the church's security team, and Tommy Davis, the organization's then-chief spokesman, had prepared a "brief" for LAPD Officer Ron Sanchez to "determine exactly what the police can do to stop this."
'The planes couldn’t take off'
Schofield stated that the weather ultimately prevented him from carrying out the prank. Schofield said, "The air company basically told me there was heavy fog in the area that day, so the planes couldn’t take off. They refunded the money and then I refunded the money to the people that donated it."
As Scientology was frequently in the news at the time, Schofield added that the prank was not meant to be malicious in any way, it was just something they thought would be funny. He added that no one from the Church of Scientology had ever approached him.
