The TSA does it again

Pilgrim

Pilgrim

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37103160/ns/world_news-africa/?GT1=43001

CAIRO - Police have detained an American-Egyptian man who arrived in Cairo on a flight from New York with several weapons in his luggage, airport officials said Wednesday

The officials said the man was taken into custody as he tried to pass through customs with a metal box containing two 9 mm handguns, 250 bullets, several swords, daggers and knives.

The box had been checked and the contents were discovered during a routine inspection upon arrival on an Egypt Air flight from New York's JFK International Airport in Cairo, according to the officials. They said customs inspectors were then alerted and the man was detained.
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He was only identified as a botany teacher.

A police official confirmed the man was questioned by agents of the powerful State Security Apparatus and the case had been turned over to prosecutors for further investigation.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to reporters.
 
When is Janet Napolitano getting fired?

20070227_napolitano_3.jpg
 
Perhaps they planned it this way ................

Let the Egyptians deal with him and prohibit him from ever returning to this country. Problem solved at no expense to the tax payers.

Then again, it could be just another TSA blunder. [rolleyes]
 
It was checked baggage. A gun in checked baggage is not really a big deal, so I wouldn't expect the TSA to find it, especially not if the gun is going -out- of the US.

Course ironically enough, if the TSA had found it first, this guy would have likely been saved from his own stupidity. My guess is he probably just wanted to protect himself in Egypt, but it didn't dawn on him that smugging a gun through the airlines is probably not very effective. [laugh]

-Mike
 
drgrant said:
It was checked baggage. A gun in checked baggage is not really a big deal, so I wouldn't expect the TSA to find it, especially not if the gun is going -out- of the US.

-Mike
Click to expand...

It is a big deal if you don't declare it.
 
derek said:
It is a big deal if you don't declare it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, on paper, but I meant in a " real security threat" sort of way. Not declaring it is a crime, yes, but putting a gun in checked baggage is probably not going to compromise the security of a given flight.

This doesn't really surprise me though. I'm still hearing reports of people accidentally bringing knives and stuff through security on their carry-ons and TSA not detecting them. TSA is still nothing more than security theater when it comes down to it- an agency designed to make people feel good about flying or some crap...

-Mike
 
Maybe this Administration of Idiots will finally name someone to head up the TSA? But probably not. They need to save that money to create more positions for Czars.
 
Timber said:
if they're not noticing prohibited items like undeclared firearms and ammunition, what else might they be missing that might also makes boom noises? the whole friggin thing is a multibillion dollar joke intended to make old ladies feel safe, but provide absolutely zero security to anyone.
Click to expand...

I guess if they missed these items in the "steel box", there could have been anything in there and it would have been missed too. [shocked]
 
Timber said:
if they're not noticing prohibited items like undeclared firearms and ammunition, what else might they be missing that might also makes boom noises? the whole friggin thing is a multibillion dollar joke intended to make old ladies feel safe, but provide absolutely zero security to anyone.
Click to expand...

That was the point I was trying to make. If pistols, ammo, and knives are getting through undetected sure a radio detonated bomb will pass through easily.
 
I've tried to give the TSA the benefit of the doubt, but this kind of stuff makes it pretty much impossible.
 
Mike, I doubt this is “he simply was trying to protect himself” case. This bozo had several swords as well as daggers/knives, not to mention 250rds of ammo. Now, if he had a 9mm + lets say 3-5 fully loaded mags + 1 knife, than I might agree with you. As is it appears he was smuggling. The real question is why? Likely it was just a money-making action and had nothing to do with terrorism or our safety. As for TSA – yeah it’s a cruel joke. Unfortunately we submit to this privacy invasion and pay for it. That is why I do not fly anymore.
 
It's a good thing he didn't have any of those "evil" handguns that just go off on their own and start killing stuff. Who knows what would have happened...

I wonder if the Egyptian officials were "profiling"?
 
Timber said:
if they're not noticing prohibited items like undeclared firearms and ammunition, what else might they be missing that might also makes boom noises? the whole friggin thing is a multibillion dollar joke intended to make old ladies feel safe, but provide absolutely zero security to anyone.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but let's keep in mind the only functional difference between a declared and an undeclared firearm in a baggage check is a little paper tag. Unless it's SOP to crack open every checked bag that has a gun or ammo "detected" in it, for this tag, then it's easy to see how it was allowed to get through. (I can think of a variety of ways this bag/box could have become "trusted" by the system... )

That said, you guys are right- it's probably just pure incompetence by the TSA. "Thousands Standing Around". Guy was probably asleep at the
x-ray machine or something, or just kept pressing the "next" button while falling in and out of sleep at the control panel. [laugh]

-Mike
 
drgrant said:
...it's probably just pure incompetence by the TSA. "Thousands Standing Around". Guy was probably asleep at the
x-ray machine or something, or just kept pressing the "next" button while falling in and out of sleep at the control panel. [laugh]

-Mike
Click to expand...

Well, with that said, what does actually happen to checked baggage when you check it? Do they send them through a scan machine, or does it just go through the conveyor and onto the luggage tugs and then straight to the departing aircraft? If the latter is true, then there is zero security at our airports.
 
HooVooLoo said:
Well, with that said, what does actually happen to checked baggage when you check it? Do they send them through a scan machine, or does it just go through the conveyor and onto the luggage tugs and then straight to the departing aircraft? If the latter is true, then there is zero security at our airports.
Click to expand...

The checked baggage is supposed to be all scanned now, but even after 9/11 there was a window of time where basically all the checked baggage was more or less just getting loaded onto the plane without inspection.

-Mike
 
I'm sure the terrorists will take notice. Since they can not get stuff on with carry on luggage, they will just put a bomb in the checked luggage. That is how they blew up Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988.
 
Typical. I brought my parents down to Florida a couple weeks back for a funeral; I was through security in record time (with a properly declared J-frame in my checked bag) while my 78-year old mother spent 10 minutes in the TSA fishbowl being felt up due to her prosthesis (breast cancer survivor).
 
Today's news: A TSA drone stole the personal info of other workers and gave it to her family, which used the ID and SSN data to set up false charge accounts, etc.

Yep - making us AND themselves safer.........
 

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