Wash-to-London Passenger(caught after arrival) Carrying Ammo

http://www.cnsnews.com ^ | 1-14-04 | CNSNews

[OXENinFLA]

Washington-to-London Passenger Carrying Ammo

(CNSNews.com) - A Sudanese man who boarded a Virgin Airlines flight in Washington, was later arrested at London's Heathrow airport - for carrying ammunition, police said. "A quantity of suspected ammunition was found in his possession," wire reports quoted a police statement as saying. "The items are being forensically examined," the statement continued. "The man was arrested under Section 1 of the Firearms Act and has been taken to Heathrow Police station where he is being interviewed." Press reports quoted Virgin Airlines as saying that the items seized did not pose a threat to the aircraft, but the question remains - how did the passenger manage to circumvent security at Washington Dulles International Airport? The 45-year-old Sudanese man was detained at Heathrow, while transferring to a British Airways flight for Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

[OXENinFLA]

WHAT@!!!

[OXENinFLA]

http://www.news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2409855

More info here.

[Puppage]

A quantity of suspected ammunition

Define "quantity", please.

[.cnI redruM]

1) Great job on the part of the Brits!!
2) WTF happened in WDC? Any questions on why TSA screeners aren't union employees?

[Izzy Dunne]

"The items are being forensically examined,"

Is they is, or is they ain't bullets?

[verity]

Heard 2 versions:

1. Five rounds of ammo.
2. Five pounds of ammo.

Which?

[OXENinFLA]

WTF happened in WDC?

Yeah, Someone BETTER lose their job over this!

[AdamSelene235]

One way to get a gun aboard is to disassemble it and spread the part among multiple persons. Glocks would be ideal. One person has the barrel inside a metal frame, another has the lower (not likely to show up in a scan), another has the slide hidden in a ordinary metal object, etc.

Once past security the group convenes and assembles the weapon.

[OXENinFLA]

My guess would be 5 rounds, like my revolver carries.

[TheDon]

Man Carrying Bullets Held After U.S.-London Flight

By Andrew Cawthorne

LONDON (Reuters) - British police arrested a Sudanese man under anti-terror laws for carrying bullets at Heathrow airport Wednesday after flying in from Washington en route to Dubai.

Police originally arrested the man for firearms offenses but then said they were holding him under section 41 of the anti-terror law, which refers to the "alleged involvement in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism."


They gave no further details.


The 45-year-old man was detained after passing through a security check at 7:40 a.m. following his arrival on British airline Virgin Atlantic's VS022 flight.


"A quantity of suspected ammunition was found in his possession. The items are being forensically examined," said a statement from London's Scotland Yard police.


Security sources at Heathrow said the man had five bullets of two different types.


Security has been especially tight at Heathrow and other big world airports in recent weeks, with U.S.-bound flights from Britain, France and Mexico grounded amid fears of a plot by extremists to carry out another Sept. 11-style attack.


Copenhagen airport acted Wednesday to remove sharp cutlery from one of its restaurants after a journalist entered a plane with a knife almost the same size as the one that killed Sweden's Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, a Danish newspaper said.


SPOTLIGHT ON DULLES


With the U.S. administration eager to see security beefed up at other airports round the world, Wednesday's incident raised questions as to how the man managed to get past security checks at Dulles airport in Washington.


"Doubtless questions are being asked in America as to how he got through their ground security and onto the plane," said Jim McAuslan, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots' Association.


Virgin airline said in a statement: "The safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is Virgin Atlantic's top priority.


"The item seized did not pose a threat to our aircraft. Screening of passengers at Washington Dulles airport is the responsibility of the Transportation Security Administration."


The incident comes at a jittery time for the airline industry, with a string of flight cancellations and delays hitting Heathrow particularly badly.


Washington is demanding that airlines carry armed marshals on some planes and has begun fingerprinting and photographing foreigners at more than 100 airports.


McAuslan of the British pilots' group said, "We have always said that what matters most is security on the ground and that's where the government should be investing. We should not be led into a cul-de-sac of sky marshals.

[OXENinFLA]

Security sources at Heathrow said the man had five bullets of two different types.

This just keeps getting stranger.

Note the reporter's lack of gun knowledge, shouldn't that be "two different calibers"?

[.cnI redruM]

Oh yeah! start with the shift-leader and start finding out why that happened. About 10 firings would be an adequate example to others.

[HardStarboard]

>>>A quantity of suspected ammunition...<<<
>>>Define "quantity", please.<<<

Define "suspected ammunition". Is that "alleged" ammunition? Or is it possibly a casing and bullet with no powder?

Come on you journalists - "ammunition " is never suspect....it either fits in a gun or it isn't meant to fit in a gun and therefore isn't ammunition! Geeze - how hard is the English language to master anyway?

[autoresponder]

First of all, a "bullet" is only the projectile.

The reporter must mean 5 "cartridges".

Five "cartridges" of two different types could mean two different cartridge manufactures or reloaders or it could mean two different types of bullets in the same caliber of cartridge or it could also mean two completely different calibers of cartridges.

Example #1 - Federal or Winchester

Example #2 - Hollowpoint or Full Metal Jacket

Example #3 - .357 Magnum or 9mm

The media usually knows less than nothing about firearms and ammo.
(your fps may vary!)

[gathersnomoss]

The solution...pat down more old white ladies and retired military personel. The ammo was most certainly stashed either in a retiree's wheel chair or in an ex-officers Polydent container.

Now I feel much more secure. Thanks fella's.

[Puppage]

how hard is the English language to master anyway?

Apparently, harder than molding a story to fit an agenda, I would say.

[gathersnomoss]

And just how do you fire unionized government lackies?

[.cnI redruM]

That's why TSA screeners are NOT unionized. SO that you CAN fire them.

[CDHart]

"Once past security the group convenes and assembles the weapon"

The next sound you hear will be a knock on your door to investigate you! Just kidding--

Carolyn