Pax attempts DIY security "test"!
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Pax attempts DIY security "test"!
Southwest Concourse at Baltimore Airport Evacuated
BALTIMORE (Reuters) - Federal authorities evacuated the Southwest Airlines concourse at Baltimore-Washington International Airport on Saturday after a woman tried to "test'' airport security at a checkpoint, officials said.
One Boeing 737 had pushed back from the gate and two others were boarding at about 7:15 a.m., when the Federal Aviation Administration ordered scores of travelers out of the airport's 16-gate Concourse B for a security sweep that kept the facility shut for nearly three hours.
Passengers then had to be re-screened before being allowed back onto their planes after the concourse reopened at about 9:50 a.m.
There were no details from the FAA or airport officials about what happened at the checkpoint at BWI, located about 10 miles outside the city of Baltimore.
"An individual was trying to test security, and she has been detained,'' said FAA spokesman Paul Takemoto. Authorities said the woman was later released.
"It is another example of a zero tolerance policy that's been in place since last week. If security isn't operating properly, we shut the facility down,'' Takemoto said.
Security has been tightened at U.S. airports since the Sept. 11 attacks in which hijackers armed with box cutters hijacked four commercial airliners and crashed three of them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The fourth crashed in rural Pennsylvania after an apparent struggle between passengers and their captors.
Federal officials, including President Bush, have since pronounced the airline travel system safe. But authorities have been embarrassed several times by individuals smuggling box cutters and other banned items through checkpoints in order to call attention to lingering security gaps
BALTIMORE (Reuters) - Federal authorities evacuated the Southwest Airlines concourse at Baltimore-Washington International Airport on Saturday after a woman tried to "test'' airport security at a checkpoint, officials said.
One Boeing 737 had pushed back from the gate and two others were boarding at about 7:15 a.m., when the Federal Aviation Administration ordered scores of travelers out of the airport's 16-gate Concourse B for a security sweep that kept the facility shut for nearly three hours.
Passengers then had to be re-screened before being allowed back onto their planes after the concourse reopened at about 9:50 a.m.
There were no details from the FAA or airport officials about what happened at the checkpoint at BWI, located about 10 miles outside the city of Baltimore.
"An individual was trying to test security, and she has been detained,'' said FAA spokesman Paul Takemoto. Authorities said the woman was later released.
"It is another example of a zero tolerance policy that's been in place since last week. If security isn't operating properly, we shut the facility down,'' Takemoto said.
Security has been tightened at U.S. airports since the Sept. 11 attacks in which hijackers armed with box cutters hijacked four commercial airliners and crashed three of them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The fourth crashed in rural Pennsylvania after an apparent struggle between passengers and their captors.
Federal officials, including President Bush, have since pronounced the airline travel system safe. But authorities have been embarrassed several times by individuals smuggling box cutters and other banned items through checkpoints in order to call attention to lingering security gaps
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A boxcutter, also used as a rugcutter, is about 4 inches long; the blade is exposed when slid out of a housing by a knob on top of the sheath (usually by thumb). It is a particularly ugly device; when using this item great care has to be taken not to injure oneself (at least nerds like myself).
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When I heard the term 'box cutter' I assumed it was some form of office sharp.
However it now appears it's what we in the UK know as a 'Stanley knife'. Weren't these always banned items in hand luggage along with Swiss Army knives and the like?
C-dog
However it now appears it's what we in the UK know as a 'Stanley knife'. Weren't these always banned items in hand luggage along with Swiss Army knives and the like?
C-dog
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It's not quite the same as a Stanley Knife, although I think they do make one. There are several makes of box-cutter, at the time the media showed a picture of the Pacific model which may or may not have been the one used. They are readily available at hardware and office stores and dirt cheap. US laws forbid the sale to minors (under-18), otherwise no restrictions.
Prior to Sep. 11 there was no ban on knives with blades less than 4 inches long being taken on board airliners. I had a box-cutter in my kit all the time - damn useful.
You can find pictures via a search engine, since most are commercial mail-order sites I can't post a URL here.
Prior to Sep. 11 there was no ban on knives with blades less than 4 inches long being taken on board airliners. I had a box-cutter in my kit all the time - damn useful.
You can find pictures via a search engine, since most are commercial mail-order sites I can't post a URL here.
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The common box cutter (American English translation) that I am familiar with is a standard single-edge razor blade slipped into a metal frame so that one corner of the blade is exposed. That is enclosed in a rectangular spring-steel "sheath" about 4" long that becomes both handle and sliding cover for the blade.
Hold the case/cover, knock the butt end on your thigh, and the blade is exposed. It is used to quickly open cases of goods in grocery stores.
The "Stanley knife" is a higher-priced variant.
Hold the case/cover, knock the butt end on your thigh, and the blade is exposed. It is used to quickly open cases of goods in grocery stores.
The "Stanley knife" is a higher-priced variant.
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"An individual was trying to test security, and she has been detained
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Man Arrested at Chicago Airport
CHICAGO (AP) - A 27-year-old man carrying seven knives and a stun gun was arrested trying to board a flight at O'Hare International Airport, police said Sunday.
Subash Gurung, a Nepal native, was arrested Saturday night prior to boarding a United Airlines flight to Omaha, Neb., said police spokesman Thomas Donegan.
He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and attempting to board an aircraft with weapons, both misdemeanor charges.
Gurung, questioned by police and the FBI (news - web sites), was released from custody at 4:30 a.m. Sunday.
Donegan was unsure what authorities learned while questioning Gurung, saying they apparently "didn't have reason to keep him.'' He has no previous arrests in Chicago.
Gurung had made it past the security checkpoint at O'Hare but airline employees in the gate area searched his bag in a routine check and found the lock-blade knives and the Taser gun, Donegan said.
Gurung told police he's unemployed. Donegan was unsure why Gurung was headed to Omaha.
The FBI declined to comment Sunday.
United spokesman Joe Hopkins wouldn't say why Gurung was searched, but said it was part of the airline's regular security procedures.
"The United employees did a great job of intercepting this guy with the weapons and preventing him from boarding the flight,'' Hopkins said.
CHICAGO (AP) - A 27-year-old man carrying seven knives and a stun gun was arrested trying to board a flight at O'Hare International Airport, police said Sunday.
Subash Gurung, a Nepal native, was arrested Saturday night prior to boarding a United Airlines flight to Omaha, Neb., said police spokesman Thomas Donegan.
He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and attempting to board an aircraft with weapons, both misdemeanor charges.
Gurung, questioned by police and the FBI (news - web sites), was released from custody at 4:30 a.m. Sunday.
Donegan was unsure what authorities learned while questioning Gurung, saying they apparently "didn't have reason to keep him.'' He has no previous arrests in Chicago.
Gurung had made it past the security checkpoint at O'Hare but airline employees in the gate area searched his bag in a routine check and found the lock-blade knives and the Taser gun, Donegan said.
Gurung told police he's unemployed. Donegan was unsure why Gurung was headed to Omaha.
The FBI declined to comment Sunday.
United spokesman Joe Hopkins wouldn't say why Gurung was searched, but said it was part of the airline's regular security procedures.
"The United employees did a great job of intercepting this guy with the weapons and preventing him from boarding the flight,'' Hopkins said.
