Airport probe after terror arrest

[Darat]

Headline on the BBC today:

Airport probe after terror arrest

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3398181.stm

Investigations have been launched on both sides of the Atlantic after a man was stopped at Heathrow Airport allegedly carrying bullets in his coat.

The 45-year-old Sudanese man, who flew to Heathrow from Washington DC's Dulles Airport on Wednesday morning, is being held in London under the Terrorism Act.

...snip...

Security at Dulles is particularly tight, with extensive checks performed on passengers and hand luggage before they are allowed anywhere near boarding areas.

...snip...

My favourite quote is:

...snip...

'No threat'

A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman confirmed the man had flown from Washington Dulles to Heathrow on flight VS022 in transit to board a flight to Dubai with another airline.

The airline said in a statement the "item" seized had not posed a threat to the aircraft.

...snip...

Yet at Christmas time "Christmas Crackers" were considered a risk!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3340079.stm
...snip...

Travellers are being advised to leave Christmas presents unwrapped and not to bring party poppers or crackers for security reasons.

...snip...

So bullets don't pose a risk to an aircraft but Christmas crackers do - yep that makes sense to me.

Once again it just goes to show that currently airport security is still lax and in my opinion not taken seriously by either the government, airlines, airport owners etc. (And anyone who tells me it is taken seriously can please explain why I can still take glass bottles into the flight cabin that I purchased at the airport.)

Flights can be stopped from departure just because of some similarities in names of passengers and a stray piece of intelligence information but no concerted effort to enforce simple security checks?


(Edited to add)

**RANT**
I appreciate that when the full facts of this incident comes to late I may have egg all over my face but in light of the continuing stupidity of USA & UK governments regarding security and "anti-terrorism" protection this just shows how, whilst they may take draconian and anti-freedom powers by the bucketful, they don’t have the guts to really make air travel secure because it would upset people, effect the economy and so on. I hate the spin that is seemingly allowing “democratic” governments to take powers that we would be critical about in “repressive” regimes.
**RANT**

(And I’ll go and have a lie down in a dark room for 20 minutes.)

(Edited again for rant alert and again for ince to an ent.)

 

[Frankie]

I echo your rant. He flew from the USA to the UK with such things and it was deemed by their end ok? Like you say christmas crackers are evil things and similarity in a name is bad news and prevented from entering USA air space.

The mind boggles at this. I wonder what the reaction would have been if it had been the other way round?


I find the whole thing ludicrous and a complete farce.

 

[Jon_in_london]

I echo your rant. He flew from the USA to the UK with such things and it was deemed by their end ok? Like you say christmas crackers are evil things and similarity in a name is bad news and prevented from entering USA air space.

The mind boggles at this. I wonder what the reaction would have been if it had been the other way round?


I find the whole thing ludicrous and a complete farce.

Exasqueeze me, but this chap has been arrested and detained under anti-terrorism laws by the UK authorities. So I dont know what you are talking about when you say you claim thats its 'OK' with us. It isnt.

I would also like to point out that the rounds were missed by the US authorities in washington and picked up at heathrow. So all the US's idiotic 'orange alert' stuff is patently useless as a man has swanned through all the security with a handfull of ammunition in his pocket.

nah-nanny poo-poos.

 

[richardm]

Exasqueeze me, but this chap has been arrested and detained under anti-terrorism laws by the UK authorities. So I dont know what you are talking about when you say you claim thats its 'OK' with us. It isnt.

I think Frankie means that she's surprised he got through the American end without the bullets being detected.

 

[Frankie]

Exasqueeze me, but this chap has been arrested and detained under anti-terrorism laws by the UK authorities. So I dont know what you are talking about when you say you claim thats its 'OK' with us. It isnt.

I would also like to point out that the rounds were missed by the US authorities in washington and picked up at heathrow. So all the US's idiotic 'orange alert' stuff is patently useless as a man has swanned through all the security with a handfull of ammunition in his pocket.

nah-nanny poo-poos.

I'll exasqueeze you alright. Did I say it was ok by us? Did I???

I said and I quote

He flew from the USA to the UK with such things and it was deemed by their end ok

That is and I haven't said it was ok by us. Ok?

Your second paragraph was what I was referring to in the matter.

 

[Frankie]

I think Frankie means that she's surprised he got through the American end without the bullets being detected.

Ahh! Richardm, you beat me to it and, yes, thank you that was what I referring too.

 

[Jon_in_london]

I'll exasqueeze you alright. Did I say it was ok by us? Did I???

I said and I quote
That is and I haven't said it was ok by us. Ok?

Your second paragraph was what I was referring to in the matter.

Sorry I mistook you for a yank.

Nevertheless, I really dont think its OK for them either. The salient point is they failed to notice that this chap had ammo in his pocket. Didnt they even put him through a metal detector?

PS: The person who said it was 'OK' (had not posed a threat to the aircraft) was a virgin atlantic spokesperson who obviously wnats to downplay the whole thing. Dulles airport security is the responsibility of the US authorities, not virgin atlantic.

 

[richardm]

The salient point is they failed to notice that this chap had ammo in his pocket. Didnt they even put him through a metal detector?

It's amazing, really. Presumably they were too busy inspecting old ladies in wheelchairs to notice this bloke with the bullets.

It's doubly amazing because the other day some chap from the US Dept of Homeland Security was raving about how worried they were of the threat of people bringing innocuous - looking components of weapons on board, and getting together during the flight to assemble them. And that they were being extra-vigilant as a result

Bullets would seem to be a useful component of a weapon. Oh well, I suppose everyone makes mistakes...

 

[BillyTK]

<innapropriate humour>And what was he going to do with those bullets? Threaten to throw them really hard at someone? So when if I go to the US next year I'll have to remember on my return to hide all my contraband in bullet shells...</inappropriate humour>

Btw, if party poppers and crackers have been banned off planes, I wonder if silicon implants have too? They've got a tendency to make a bit of a bang over 35,000 feet.

 

[richardm]

Btw, if party poppers and crackers have been banned off planes, I wonder if silicon implants have too? They've got a tendency to make a bit of a bang over 35,000 feet.

If I can just borrow your inappropriate humour tags for a moment, I'll ponder that they could be the ultimate concealed weapon for suicide bombers - semtex implants. If you ever see someone trying to light a bra, call the police. She may be a feminist making a statement, but she may be a terrorist.

 

[Jon_in_london]

If I can just borrow your inappropriate humour tags for a moment, I'll ponder that they could be the ultimate concealed weapon for suicide bombers - semtex implants. If you ever see someone trying to light a bra, call the police. She may be a feminist making a statement, but she may be a terrorist.

Hmmm.. what about an impact explosive?

Feminist chest-beating or terrorist?

 

[Grammatron]

**thread jack**
Btw, if party poppers and crackers have been banned off planes, I wonder if silicon implants have too? They've got a tendency to make a bit of a bang over 35,000 feet.

That's an urban legend, the implants are far more durable than that.

 

[Darat]

Looks like he is just being charged under standard firearm legislation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3401823.stm

 

[Reginald]

One of the tabloids claimed yesterday that he had 40 bullets. Typical press exaggeration given that he was actually carrying 5. I have no doubt that tomorrow's Sun will have him struggling under the weight of several belts of ammunition slung over his shoulders.

 

[karl]

Originally posted by richardm If I can just borrow your inappropriate humour tags for a moment, I'll ponder that they could be the ultimate concealed weapon for suicide bombers - semtex implants. If you ever see someone trying to light a bra, call the police. She may be a feminist making a statement, but she may be a terrorist.

This sort of thing has worried me for quite some time. How hard could it be to create an explosive device that doesn't set off metal detectors and can be either implanted or hidden in a body cavity? And how will US airport security adapt after someone does exactly that?

"Please step up to the anal probe, Sir. And we'd like to remind you that all international passengers are required by federal law to be cut open and get their insides inspected prior to boarding. Have a nice flight."

 

[Graham]

This sort of thing has worried me for quite some time. How hard could it be to create an explosive device that doesn't set off metal detectors and can be either implanted or hidden in a body cavity? And how will US airport security adapt after someone does exactly that?

"Please step up to the anal probe, Sir. And we'd like to remind you that all international passengers are required by federal law to be cut open and get their insides inspected prior to boarding. Have a nice flight."

I've often thought the the world's terrorist population show a distinct lack of imaginatio but then I guess it's easier to say "Why not make semtex breast implants" than to find a surgeon who's also a bombmaker (and totally amoral), find a willing volunteer to be implanted, invent a detonation mechanism and get over about a billion other technical difficulties with the whole thing, obtain the required rare, heavily controlled and expensive materials and plan and execute a terrorist attack dramatic enough to justify the cost and difficulty of the entire operation - all without attracting the attnetion of any of the world's security agencies.

There's a project for the weekend, for anyone who's interested - let us know how you get on on Monday.

Graham

 

[Ed]

I've often thought the the world's terrorist population show a distinct lack of imaginatio but then I guess it's easier to say "Why not make semtex breast implants" than to find a surgeon who's also a bombmaker (and totally amoral), find a willing volunteer to be implanted, invent a detonation mechanism and get over about a billion other technical difficulties with the whole thing, obtain the required rare, heavily controlled and expensive materials and plan and execute a terrorist attack dramatic enough to justify the cost and difficulty of the entire operation - all without attracting the attnetion of any of the world's security agencies.

There's a project for the weekend, for anyone who's interested - let us know how you get on on Monday.

Graham

Great idea! Be sure to write from Gitmo

 

[Darat]

This sort of thing has worried me for quite some time. How hard could it be to create an explosive device that doesn't set off metal detectors and can be either implanted or hidden in a body cavity? And how will US airport security adapt after someone does exactly that?

"Please step up to the anal probe, Sir. And we'd like to remind you that all international passengers are required by federal law to be cut open and get their insides inspected prior to boarding. Have a nice flight."

Look out for anyone the explosive detecting dogs are getting very friendly with

 

[BillyTK]

This sort of thing has worried me for quite some time. How hard could it be to create an explosive device that doesn't set off metal detectors and can be either implanted or hidden in a body cavity? And how will US airport security adapt after someone does exactly that?

"Please step up to the anal probe, Sir. And we'd like to remind you that all international passengers are required by federal law to be cut open and get their insides inspected prior to boarding. Have a nice flight."

What about ShoeBomber? His explosives weren't even hidden in his body.

I feel the need for the inappropriate humour tags, for according to the article, exploding shoes are considered to be a Weapon of Mass Destruction. Hmmm...

Edited for spellung

 

[Abdul Alhazred]

Exasqueeze me, but this chap has been arrested and detained under anti-terrorism laws by the UK authorities. So I dont know what you are talking about when you say you claim thats its 'OK' with us. It isnt.

Hmmm. He was smuggling small arms ammo, which is very easy to buy in the USA, but practically impossible to buy in the UK.

Not necessarily a terrorist, though the UK authorities may know more than they are telling.

I agree that he should have been stopped on the US side.