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.

[Travis McGee]

Very possible. Each part left in the rest room and assembled by the actual hijacker who may not even carry any parts on board. Women and children would be best for mules. So look for planes with groups of foreign islamic men, with or without families.

[.cnI redruM]

Probably. ALthough, some of the rounds may have been tracers or cop-killers. With that poor a level of journalism, who really knows?

[kevao]

Five one-pound rounds of ammo.

[Hand em their arse]

When they first said they were going to federalize the screeners I must say I was totally at odds with Tom Delay when he said that was a ridiculous idea.

Little did I know they weren't actually changing any of the people that were already there. It was the same person who served you your morning egg mcmuffin. It's just now they had benefits....

Such a joke!!

[AdamSelene235]

Mmmmn Hmmn. After 911 a hijacker is going to need a gun to succeed. A little knife ain't going to cut it anymore. I would imagine 2 teams of 5 people with redundant parts could get a pair of Glocks aboard. I recently boarded with a sealed bottle of whiskey and a pound of creatine(bodybuilding powder mix), without being inspected. There is zero protection against well disguised explosives being brought aboard and I imagine disassembled firearms would have a very good chance of making it through.

Remember when TSA tests their system, they aren't allowed to hide the objects. (Because the discovery rate was embarrassingly low).

So once again, the only people who are disarmed are the good guys.

[gathersnomoss]

My error. Then let the staff reduction begin.

[been_lurking]

Thinking it through logically, it's really not all that dramatic.

In Washington D.C he checks a bag that has 5 rounds of ammo in it. The bag is shoved through the screening machine with four million other checked bags and the ammo is missed by the screener.

Upon arrival in London, he is required to claim his checked bag and process through customs screening before boarding his flight to Dubai. Here, his bag is personally tossed by a British customs inspector and the rounds of ammunition are discovered.

[Travis McGee]

I think the next hijacking will involve a small team, both to smuggle the gun parts, but also to ferret out and neutralize the sky marshal. This could be done by causing a diversion to bring the sky marshal to your row, then having someone stick him with a hypodermic. Very easy on a confinde airplane as he leans in to try to drag out "the crazy man." The crazy man's mild-mannered confederate in the aisle seat then just sticks the marshal in the thigh, and it's sleepy time. Now the hijackers have not only taken out the marshal, they have his gun. That's when the entire team makes their move.

[verity]

20 mike mike. lol!

[AdamSelene235]

Dramatic but lacking in versatility.

What if there's no air marshals? What if there's 3 air marshals?

I still find it troubling that a person can carry a liter of an unidentified liquid and a pound of an unidentified chemical on board without a second glance.

[Melinator]

What a bunch of asses. This should be comedy.

[MinuteGal]

Here's a 45 year-old male, a Sundanese, transferring in London to a flight to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Not that this sticks out any, naw. Wave him through.

But make sure to pick out 75 year old granny with red hair and freckles bound for Ames, Iowa and pat her right down to her bobby sox and sneakers.

Leni

[PAR35]

It is not clear from this story that the TSA did anything wrong. Was the ammo in checked baggage (legal under US law) or in carry-on (in which the TSA did blow it.)

Just because possession of bullets is illegal in gun-fearing England doesn't mean anyone in the US failed to do their job.

[Travis McGee]

There are only even one air marshall on only 5% of US flights. And everyone knows that they are all on the DC and NY flights. The rest of the country is uncovered.

[FreePaul]

Must be rounds. Remember your not allowed to use pounds as a weight measure in Britain anymore.

[FreePaul]

Was the suspect shot with suspected ammunition? Can suspected ammunition kill someone just like the apparent heart attack? Inquiring minds probably don't care but we should demand answers.

[wretchard]

You're probably right about the "team hijacking" but it would be an operation with a lot of moving parts. If so much as one mule were compromised, the whole team would be bagged. Other variables are the reaction of the passengers, the dispersal of team due to seating arrangements beyond their control and the possibility that there would be two sky marshals, one in passive mode. The AQ can lessen the chances by enlarging the team. At the extreme, they could book every ticket on the plane with their men and sympathizers. But then, there would still the F-16s waiting for them.

[Travis McGee]

All good points. The more people, the more chances of a mission comprimise, even at the screening stage. F-16s can be worked around though, through intell (bases, radii, alert status etc) if the hijackers go for a fast smash after taking the plane. But it will never again be as easy as 9-11.

I think a more likely scenario is ten checked-luggage bombs all set to go off at the same minute on ten jets. Just get ten jihadists to be flying at the same hour, and it would be hard to stop. Of course, it's not so easy for them to get ten terrorists on planes anymore, without bells going off.

[William Tell]

wretchard said: "But then, there would still the F-16s waiting for them."

A commercial aircraft shot down by an F-16 would be a tremendous victory for the terrorists and, hopefully, a career-ending defeat for Schumer, Feinstein, Mineta, and Ridge.