Sun journo sneaks fake 'bomb' into LCY airport
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Sun journo sneaks fake 'bomb' into LCY airport
SUN man Brian Flynn stands on the runway of a major UK airport with a “bomb” — exposing the lax security that could put passengers at risk of a terror attack.
Our reporter — posing as a workman — was able to pose unchallenged with a fake explosive alongside passenger jets and fuel tanks.
Despite the busy international airport being a prime al-Qaeda terror target, no one CHECKED his identity, ASKED who he worked for, or SEARCHED his hired van — which could have been packed with explosives.
It would have been easy to plant a bomb on jets from airlines including British Airways, or blow up an explosive-filled van.
Unchallenged ... Sun man Brian leaves the security station
A worker revealed: “Security at the airport is a joke.
"Armed police patrol the terminal, yet it’s easy to get on the runway and next to planes unchallenged.”
Our devastating expose will stun airport security chiefs at London City Airport — just three miles from the potential terror target of Canary Wharf.
Every year, more than 2.9 million passengers use the airport, which has a VIP terminal for private jets of the rich and famous.
Our reporter and photographer posed as workmen, wearing hard hats and orange jackets bought cheaply from a workwear shop. They hired a white van and attached a magnetic flashing yellow light, bought for £40.
An easily-faked white plastic contractor’s pass carries no name, and has no hologram or barcode to prevent forgery.
Our team approached the airport’s double barrier at 11.05pm.
Joy ride ... pair pass unprotected aircraft unchallenged
During operational hours, all workers are supposed to show photo ID, such as a passport, with every vehicle being searched.
But at night, procedures are relaxed, and only spot checks are carried out.
Our team wrote their names on a signing-in sheet. Staff did not demand ID, ask our men who they worked for, or even what they were there to do.
Staff are supposed to fill in the name of their employer — but our man left the spot blank.
Guards never asked to search inside the Ford Connect van. Instead, our men jumped in their van as the inner barrier was raised with no questions asked — and drove unescorted on to the runway apron.
They passed giant tanks holding aircraft fuel, and then pulled on to the floodlit strip alongside passenger aircraft parked at terminal gates.
Our reporter then got out with a fake bomb, to pose alongside the line of unattended passenger jets.
After 20 minutes wandering around the runway area unchallenged, the pair climbed into the van and drove away. At the security gate, they waved as the barriers were lifted to let them out.
Our investigation was sparked after construction workers revealed the lax security standards.
One builder said many of those working on the site had criminal records for violence and theft — even though they are supposed to undergo checks.
He said: “It is ludicrous how easily someone can get on the runway.
“You could easily walk up to a plane without anyone suspecting anything and put a bomb on it to be detonated when it takes off.
“If a terrorist planted a bomb on a plane and blew it up as it passed over London, the consequences do not bear thinking about.”
Our source told how security staff had lost track of so many passes that they have barely any left.
He said: “Security just wave you through. I once drove on to the runway with a mate in the passenger seat and no one asked who he was.
“It’s incredible that vehicles are not checked when you think how much explosive you could pack into a van and the devastation it could cause at an airport.
“Many of the workers are foreign, so without any checks a terrorist could get in.”
The airport was bought for £700million in 2006 by a US consortium called American International, Credit Suisse and GE Infrastructure.
An airport spokeswoman last night said changes had been implemented after a review of security.
She said: “You should not have been able to get on to the site and approach the aircraft.
"We take security very seriously and have carried out a review as a result of this.”
Fake ... our man's 'bomb'
But the spokeswoman denied our “bomb” could have caused damage.
She said: “It is unlikely that anything left behind would have gone undetected as the airfield and aircraft are swept each morning by airport security and police.
"We don’t believe there was any risk to passengers, staff, crew or the aircraft.”
The security shambles is the latest to be exposed by The Sun.
Reporter Anthony France smuggled a bomb on to a plane at Birmingham International Airport in 2004.
Also in 2004, Defence Editor Tom Newton Dunn smuggled an eight-inch knife on to a BA flight from Kuwait to Heathrow.
Our reporter — posing as a workman — was able to pose unchallenged with a fake explosive alongside passenger jets and fuel tanks.
Despite the busy international airport being a prime al-Qaeda terror target, no one CHECKED his identity, ASKED who he worked for, or SEARCHED his hired van — which could have been packed with explosives.
It would have been easy to plant a bomb on jets from airlines including British Airways, or blow up an explosive-filled van.
Unchallenged ... Sun man Brian leaves the security stationA worker revealed: “Security at the airport is a joke.
"Armed police patrol the terminal, yet it’s easy to get on the runway and next to planes unchallenged.”
Our devastating expose will stun airport security chiefs at London City Airport — just three miles from the potential terror target of Canary Wharf.
Every year, more than 2.9 million passengers use the airport, which has a VIP terminal for private jets of the rich and famous.
Our reporter and photographer posed as workmen, wearing hard hats and orange jackets bought cheaply from a workwear shop. They hired a white van and attached a magnetic flashing yellow light, bought for £40.
An easily-faked white plastic contractor’s pass carries no name, and has no hologram or barcode to prevent forgery.
Our team approached the airport’s double barrier at 11.05pm.
Joy ride ... pair pass unprotected aircraft unchallengedDuring operational hours, all workers are supposed to show photo ID, such as a passport, with every vehicle being searched.
But at night, procedures are relaxed, and only spot checks are carried out.
Our team wrote their names on a signing-in sheet. Staff did not demand ID, ask our men who they worked for, or even what they were there to do.
Staff are supposed to fill in the name of their employer — but our man left the spot blank.
Guards never asked to search inside the Ford Connect van. Instead, our men jumped in their van as the inner barrier was raised with no questions asked — and drove unescorted on to the runway apron.
They passed giant tanks holding aircraft fuel, and then pulled on to the floodlit strip alongside passenger aircraft parked at terminal gates.
Our reporter then got out with a fake bomb, to pose alongside the line of unattended passenger jets.
After 20 minutes wandering around the runway area unchallenged, the pair climbed into the van and drove away. At the security gate, they waved as the barriers were lifted to let them out.
Our investigation was sparked after construction workers revealed the lax security standards.
One builder said many of those working on the site had criminal records for violence and theft — even though they are supposed to undergo checks.
He said: “It is ludicrous how easily someone can get on the runway.
“You could easily walk up to a plane without anyone suspecting anything and put a bomb on it to be detonated when it takes off.
“If a terrorist planted a bomb on a plane and blew it up as it passed over London, the consequences do not bear thinking about.”
Our source told how security staff had lost track of so many passes that they have barely any left.
He said: “Security just wave you through. I once drove on to the runway with a mate in the passenger seat and no one asked who he was.
“It’s incredible that vehicles are not checked when you think how much explosive you could pack into a van and the devastation it could cause at an airport.
“Many of the workers are foreign, so without any checks a terrorist could get in.”
The airport was bought for £700million in 2006 by a US consortium called American International, Credit Suisse and GE Infrastructure.
An airport spokeswoman last night said changes had been implemented after a review of security.
She said: “You should not have been able to get on to the site and approach the aircraft.
"We take security very seriously and have carried out a review as a result of this.”
Fake ... our man's 'bomb'But the spokeswoman denied our “bomb” could have caused damage.
She said: “It is unlikely that anything left behind would have gone undetected as the airfield and aircraft are swept each morning by airport security and police.
"We don’t believe there was any risk to passengers, staff, crew or the aircraft.”
The security shambles is the latest to be exposed by The Sun.
Reporter Anthony France smuggled a bomb on to a plane at Birmingham International Airport in 2004.
Also in 2004, Defence Editor Tom Newton Dunn smuggled an eight-inch knife on to a BA flight from Kuwait to Heathrow.
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I really hope that they press criminal charges against these "journalists". I read threads on here about genuine workers suffering all kinds of unreasonable crap just to get to work and then you see threads like these..................
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Hippopotamus,
I thinks that you are missing the point.The ones that should get arrested are the one's in charge of security not the one pointing out the very obvious defects of the system.
I thinks that you are missing the point.The ones that should get arrested are the one's in charge of security not the one pointing out the very obvious defects of the system.
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Originally Posted by hippotamus
I really hope that they press criminal charges against these "journalists". I read threads on here about genuine workers suffering all kinds of unreasonable crap just to get to work and then you see threads like these...
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Looks like they've done a good turn in the public interest here. As a user of LCY I am not impressed, especially as they always have a "show" of four gun toting plods in the Terminal intimidating the Hell out of me...( I'm sorry but honestly that's how it makes me feel as they stand slouched at the top of the stairs glowering at passengers ). What a bloody pantomime. Surely a prosecution of gross negligence is possible?
Not often I say well done The Sun !
Not often I say well done The Sun !
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Damn looks like a hypo to do these kind of things....same happened at AMS airport...they even filmed the whole thing
Last edited by suppie; 9th Feb 2008 at 14:40. Reason: type error
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It just proves how useless and ridicules this whole security farce is. They treat those that have undergone thoroughly security checks before even offerede a job airside as terorrists, and then lets everybody else do what they want 
Unfortunately we see it on a daily basis, so my regards to the journalists that finally manage to put some focus on the daft and useless "security". Well done 
Unfortunately we see it on a daily basis, so my regards to the journalists that finally manage to put some focus on the daft and useless "security". Well done
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Like terrorist activities this sort of rubbish should not ever have been publicised. The original perpetrators should have been "disappeared" without trace. leaving idiot journalists to take the same risk. We have quite enough cost and hassle as it is,think of the extra opportunities you publicise. I Fly.
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Originally Posted by wilyflier
Like terrorist activities this sort of rubbish should not ever have been publicised.
Originally Posted by wilyflier
The original perpetrators should have been "disappeared" without trace. leaving idiot journalists to take the same risk.
Originally Posted by wilyflier
We have quite enough cost and hassle as it is,think of the extra opportunities you publicise.
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I believe that LCY operates a two scale system so that during the flying period it operates an RZ but outside of those hours it is merely a CZ only requiring random checks of ID badges. All aircraft must be searched or sealed if present during the change from one zone to another. It highlights once again what most of us are only to aware of in the airport industry that many of the security operatives are not managed nor supervised well enough. The Dft must also take the blame for this only conducting tests normally during office hours (the staff being civil servants). As for the armed Police they have little input into the airport security and are merely there to deal with the possible armed attack. Unless they observe the punters they are not much use looking away and I am sure they are not trying to intmidate anyone they are probably bored. Considering the location, the fact that the average pax earns in excess of £85000 it is most unsatisfactory.
Paxing All Over The World
from the report
So ... each aircraft that has been on the stand overnight is swept inside and out? They say that they are sealed at changeover from RZ to CZ but I just don't believe it.
A report in the STN thread reports that someone who had used fake ID to get a job there as a cleaner was jailed. No mention of the people who ACCEPTED the fake ID. This is the same story. Complacency and money being saved on hiring people who understand what security really means.
But the spokeswoman denied our “bomb” could have caused damage.
She said: “It is unlikely that anything left behind would have gone undetected as the airfield and aircraft are swept each morning by airport security and police. "We don’t believe there was any risk to passengers, staff, crew or the aircraft.”
She said: “It is unlikely that anything left behind would have gone undetected as the airfield and aircraft are swept each morning by airport security and police. "We don’t believe there was any risk to passengers, staff, crew or the aircraft.”
A report in the STN thread reports that someone who had used fake ID to get a job there as a cleaner was jailed. No mention of the people who ACCEPTED the fake ID. This is the same story. Complacency and money being saved on hiring people who understand what security really means.
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Considering the location, the fact that the average pax earns in excess of £85000 it is most unsatisfactory.
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But the spokeswoman denied our “bomb” could have caused damage. She said: “It is unlikely that anything left behind would have gone undetected as the airfield and aircraft are swept each morning by airport security and police.
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Come on guys lets be realistic, 100% security is impossible.
An idiot journalist is likely to be able to do this almost anywhere, and achieves nothing other than hand wringing on here about who should or should not be 'blamed' for the security breakdown!
Compare this to the recent crash of a B777 at Heathrow, likely to be caused by something no-one had foreseen; this happens in security too.
I once heard security described as 3 brick walls all built parallel to one another and all having some holes in them; when the holes line up you have potential for a disaster.
The best thing we could be doing is condemning the idiot newspaper who set out to prove this complacency, as it encourages others to have a go, including real terrorists. If you want to help the enemy then keep publicising idiotic stunts like this one.
An idiot journalist is likely to be able to do this almost anywhere, and achieves nothing other than hand wringing on here about who should or should not be 'blamed' for the security breakdown!
Compare this to the recent crash of a B777 at Heathrow, likely to be caused by something no-one had foreseen; this happens in security too.
I once heard security described as 3 brick walls all built parallel to one another and all having some holes in them; when the holes line up you have potential for a disaster.
The best thing we could be doing is condemning the idiot newspaper who set out to prove this complacency, as it encourages others to have a go, including real terrorists. If you want to help the enemy then keep publicising idiotic stunts like this one.
Some in the media seem to have it in for aviation.
They could have gone down to the local bus depo and put half a dozen of the fake bombs on buses. Six buses full of pax is a good plane load.
They could have gone down to the local bus depo and put half a dozen of the fake bombs on buses. Six buses full of pax is a good plane load.
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Manrow is right and anyway many of us only value our life to the tune of the cheapest ticket avaible. We leave the important processes to others to worry about. My reference tp earnings is that you perhaps might expect higher standard anyway than the rest. We are hopefully not paying those on the dole / social to take flights are we.