Wired Iraqi man triggers scare at L.A. airport

Reuters ^ | 3-6-07

[STARWISE]

An Iraqi national wearing wires and concealing a magnet inside his rectum triggered a security scare at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday but officials said he posed no apparent threat.

The man, identified by law enforcement officials as Fadhel al-Maliki, 35, set off an alarm during passenger screening at the airport early on Tuesday morning.

A police bomb squad was called to examine what was deemed a suspicious item found during a body cavity search of the man. Local media reports said a magnet was found in his rectum.

"He was secreting these items in a body cavity and that was a great concern because there were also some electric wires associated with that body cavity," Larry Fetters, security director for the Transportation Security Administration at the airport, told reporters.

Maliki, 35, who lives in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was preparing to board a US Airways flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia.

The flight left without Maliki but with his luggage aboard. It made an unscheduled landing in Las Vegas, where the plane was thoroughly searched but nothing was found, officials said.

Passengers were not evacuated and no flights were disrupted by the incident at Terminal One at Los Angeles airport.

"There never was a threat," Fetter said.

He said police and the FBI were called in from "an abundance of caution" because Maliki was "so bizarre in his behavior."

[STARWISE]

This kills me .. they have to say every dang time:

"There never was a threat," Fetter said.

[spokeshave]

Yeah....just testing the system.....

[NorCalRepub]

......maybe it was his ass that was pointing due north that tripped him up.....

[STARWISE]

If not by one way, then another . . unreal. Move along folks, PING!

[Calpernia]

ping

[Uncle Miltie]

He was being drawn back to San Fran where he was known for his magnetic "personality."

[REDWOOD99]

Why didn't they blow up the magnet?

[spokeshave]

Maybe he read that putting a magnet on a car fuel line improves MPG....so he thought it works just as well in his colon.

[babygene]

I have an idea... some would call it radical I'm sure, but I don't think so.

Give the Muslims 48 hours to leave our country, and then kill those that haven't left.

[Uncle Miltie]

"there were also some electric wires associated with that body cavity,"

As long as no hamsters were harmed.

[Army Air Corps]

...concealing a magnet inside his rectum...

Later he was quoted as saying, "It was an accident, doc; a million-to-one shot..."

[technomage]

This kills me .. they have to say every dang time: "There never was a threat," Fetter said.

Yup, before any facts are known. Sort of like saying someone is guilty before the trial even starts.

[babygene]

No, it was pointing toward Mecca.

[spokeshave]

Magnet and wires eh.....maybe he and his buddies were going to assemble an EMP gun and blow the airplane out of the sky.

[Cindy]

Thank you STARWISE and Calpernia for the ping.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=lax

[neodad]

A police bomb squad was called to examine what was deemed a suspicious item found during a body cavity search of the man.

Wonder who got to make that call?

[saganite]

His baggage was left aboard? That's a major security breech.

[starbase]

An Iraqi national wearing wires and concealing a magnet inside his rectum...

Wow, talk about a "What did I just read?" moment.

[BunnySlippers]

LOL

[NorCalRepub]

....hopefully it will be pointing to jail now