Airline packs some heat for unwitting passenger

[PAXboy]

Not a rumour, reported as news but probably needs to go to Jet Blast ...


This from Yahoo News of 14th March 2004 08:43 pm (time zone not given but presume stateside)

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A passenger on Israel's El Al airlines got a complimentary gift on a flight home from Germany -- a pistol that security guards slipped into his suitcase, an Israeli newspaper has reported.

El Al personnel, the Haaretz daily reported on Sunday, sometimes sneak fake guns into the bags of unwitting passengers to test if security staff can spot them. One replica went undetected and was found by the startled passenger when he unpacked at home.

Haaretz said he alerted the police and was told it was an inoperable weapon used by El Al security in training exercises.

A spokeswoman for El Al, an airline regarded as the world's most security-conscious, declined to confirm or deny the report.

The link to the above story: Yahoo News (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040314/80/eoir3.html)

[av8boy]

Everybody tests. Nobody's perfect. But you'd think they'd be really careful about collecting all of the plants when they're done. Bad press...

[747FOCAL]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/03/14/bt.elal.reut/index.html

What are they going to do if the poor passenger finds the gun during the flight and pulls it out of his bag. There would be a stampede. :mad:

[85882]

I think that's a good idea, however the passenger don't like that.

[Bubbette]

I'm a little concerned that they didn't find it!

[EDDNHopper]

Fake guns carried by fake passengers - ok. But fake guns carried by unwitting passengers - :mad: :yuk:

[mutt]

Packed guns in our checked-in baggage are beyond our control, but what happens if you immediately take that baggage to another flight and try to check in.............

Are EL-AL going to immediately accept responsibility????????

Mutt.

[rotornut]

El Al 'planted gun on passenger'
An air passenger was stunned to find a handgun in his luggage after a flight with Israel's national carrier El Al.
The man discovered the weapon while unpacking in Israel after a visit to Germany, reports Israeli daily Haaretz.

He immediately reported the find to the police only to be told that the weapon, which had been de-activated, was part of a security drill for airline staff.

Security officers sometimes put replica guns in luggage to keep bag checkers on their toes, Haaretz says.

In theory, the weapon would be discovered during checks and removed, leaving passengers none the wiser.

This handgun, however, appears to have slipped through the net.

The airline could not confirm or deny the report.

"El Al uses different tactics to ensure the safety of its passengers," said a spokeswoman. "We won't detail our tactics."


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/3517570.stm

Published: 2004/03/16 20:55:40 GMT

© BBC MMIV

[fokker]

Quote:

"El Al uses different tactics to ensure the safety of its passengers," said a spokeswoman. "We won't detail our tactics."

________________________________

Hmmm. Maybe not, darling, but they don't appear to work, do they?





:E