Did you ever figure out what the blue object was?
No, I watched everything from a safe distance. The last thing I wanted was for this guy to be released, recognize me as the paranoid infidel from the line and be stuck on a flight with him. I was already jittery enough about being on a Flight 11 that had originated in Madrid.
The object was about the size of a credit card. When he retieved it, he had his cell phone already out (though he didn't make or receive any calls), and he slipped the card behind his phone (it was in a case) and pocketed the cell immediately.
Did you mention to the other guards that the female didn't react/respond?
Sort of. The first thing I said to the security guy was "I just told the lady checking ID's in line and she didn't seem to care". I can't imagine anything ever came of it. In Philly International, if you talk to two security guards and actually get the attention of one of them, that's a pretty high batting average.
He was guilty of poor tradecraft technique if nothing else, to be witnessed by an alert citizen.
Not only that, but the guy went out of his way to look suspicious. He already looked a lot like a more Middle Eastern Richard Reid to begin with, but he had a black hooded sweatshirt on... and when he took his seat directly opposite the security screeners, he pulled the hood up over his head and eyeballed pretty much everyone in line for a good 60 seconds before he got up and retrieved whatever it was that was waiting for him in the seat next to his.
I was actually surprised that they found anything on him. My initial thought was that he was trying to bait security into harrassing him so he could file a lawsuit.
Then you think back to the 9/11 hijackers bragging about what they were about to do in a bar in Florida on 9/10 and you realize: these guys are evil and cunning, but they're not terribly bright. They're certainly capable of being sloppy.
Would you expand on the details such as how did you attract the attention of the head of security? Did you relate the lack of response by the female guard?
The security kiosk was on the other side of the X-Ray/metal detectors. I just approached him after I cleared security and told him everything I had seen.
I did mention to him that I had brought the situation to the female guard's attention and that she wasn't interested.
I missed this the first time around. Thank you for posting it again.
Wow!