Originally Posted by
b1lanc
Tom Carter, TSA’s federal security director for New Jersey, said Friday in a statement. “There is simply no excuse for trying to do something like this knowing it had the great potential to cause panic with the intention of turning that panic into a reality show..."
This isn't really a source for the original quote - it does not state that the accused had admitted their intention was to cause and film panic, and could simply be Tom Carter's interpretation of their intent.
TV film crew busted with fake bomb at Newark Airport - NY Daily News
Actually has some more details and also contains roughly the original quote, but merely ascribes it to unnamed "sources".
I can believe a TV show trying to test airport security or film TSA reaction, I am not sure I believe a TV show aiming to film a mass panic that they deliberately trigger - I cannot see how you can possibly get broadcastable TV out of it (either you film an orderly evac in which case it's boring, or you film chaos distress and injuries
that you have admitted causing on film, which will be way over the line for most viewers and will be perfect evidence to bankrupt you in inevitable lawsuits). But the main thing I can't believe is that anyone could possibly be stupid enough to admit this intention to investigators, or that any lawyer would advise them to do so -
unless this is already wrapped up in a plea deal (and the admission is part of that). We'll see.