Posted on 09/21/2007 11:03:43 AM PDT by Rutles4Ever
(WBZ) BOSTON An MIT student with a fake bomb strapped to her chest was arrested at gunpoint Friday at Logan International Airport and later claimed it was artwork, officials said.
Star Simpson, 19, had a computer circuit board and wiring in plain view over a black hooded sweat shirt she was wearing, said State Police Maj. Scott Pare, the commanding officer at the airport.
"She said that it was a piece of art and she wanted to stand out on career day," Pare said at a news conference. "She claims that it was just art, and that she was proud of the art and she wanted to display it."
The battery-powered rectangular device had nine flashing lights, he said. Simpson also had Play-Doh in her hands, he said.
The phrases "Socket to me" and "Course VI" were written on the back of sweat shirt, which authorities displayed to the media. Course VI appears to be a reference to MIT's major of electrical engineering and computer science.
Simpson was charged with disturbing the peace and possessing a hoax device.
She pleaded not guilty to a charge of possessing a hoax device at her arraignment in East Boston District Court Friday afternoon. She was released on $750 bail and ordered to stay away from Logan Airport.
Simpson could face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
"I'm shocked and appalled that somebody would wear this type of device to an airport," Pare said.
Simpson was "extremely lucky she followed the instructions or deadly force would have been used," Pare said. "She's lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue."
Simpson is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology sophomore from Hawaii, officials said.
Simpson was a member of MIT's swimming and diving team in 2006, according to the team's Web site, which lists her hometown as Kihei, Hawaii, and her high school as Hawaii Preparatory. MIT spokeswoman Patti Richards confirmed that Simpson is an MIT student, but said the school could not immediately confirm any other details and did not have further comment.
She was arrested about 8 a.m. outside Terminal C, home to United Airlines, Jet Blue and other carriers.
A Massachusetts Port Authority staffer manning an information booth in the terminal became suspicious when Simpson -- wearing the device -- approached to ask about an incoming flight, Pare said. Simpson then walked outside, and the information booth attendant notified a nearby trooper.
The trooper, joined by others with submachine guns, confronted her at a traffic island in front of the terminal.
"She was immediately told to stop, to raise her hands and not to make any movement, so we could observe all her movements to see if she was trying to trip any type of device," Pare said. "Had she not followed the protocol, we might have used deadly force."
Pare said Simpson took a subway to the airport, but he was not sure if she had the device on at that time.
She told authorities she was at the airport to greet someone arriving on a flight from Oakland. Authorities verified information as to the name of the passenger she was greeting, and said he had already left the airport.
"She did seem a bit upset that she was in custody. However, she was rational, and she did answer all questions as required," Pare said.
The major praised the booth attendant but said the incident is a reminder of the terrorism threat confronting the civil aviation system. Two of the four passenger jets hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001, took off from Logan.
"In this day and age, the threat continues to be there," said Pare. "She certainly jeopardized her own safety by bringing this to the airport, as well as the safety of everybody around her."
The city was the focus of a major security scare Jan. 31 when dozens of battery-powered devices were discovered in various locations. Bomb squads were deployed, and highways, bridges and some transit stations were temporarily closed. They turned out to be a promotion for cable TV's Cartoon Network.
Stay with wbztv.com and WBZ-TV for the latest on this developing story.
"She said that it was a piece of art and she wanted to stand out on career day,"
Search is your friend. :-)
Interestingly, I searched “MIT” and nothing came up. Oh well. Please delete.
You know...I just don’t even have words. Oh wait, yes, I do. One.
IDIOT.
Doesn’t look anything like a bomb to me, more like a breadboard taped to a sweatshirt.
I think people confuse “crazy looking electronics” with “bomb” way too much.
She stood out all right. Now she is known as an IDIOT nationwide.
Not Guilty!
She is definitely mentally disturbed. Maybe she wanted them to shoot her - to add more authenticity to her artwork.
“However, she was rational...”
Um....Nope.
I’m and engineer, and I know how prestigeous a degree from MIT is, but honestly, some of the smart people who get in there have no common sense. I wonder who ties her shoes for her...
Well, when the benefit of the doubt could make others have to identify your less than quarter inch square body pieces so they can bury perhaps 10% of you in box, it tends to have a certain effect on you.
MIT? Great brain power but absolutely NO common sense with this one.
Fifteen-seconds of FAME?
She will certainly “stand out” on career day now.
(Actually, she’ll be standing out in the exercise yard.)
“Simpson was “extremely lucky she followed the instructions or deadly force would have been used,”
Next time shoot first and then ask questions. That’ll put a stop to this foolishness immediately. The police have enough on their hands without clowns like this student.
I agree. She’s probably a very intelligent person when it comes to her chosen field, but she probably hasn’t got clue one about the social skills reguired to function in small groups or the public at large. In those areas, she may be close to functionally illiterate.
I doubt she had a clue as to the way she was going to be percieved.
The authorities reacted they way they had to IMO.
oh I bet she thinks she’s being “oh so clever”!
reality check: she’s being “oh so STOOPID”!!!
what a maroon. she’s lucky someone didn’t shoot her. can we get together and send her a bag of peanuts in jail?
My gripe here is that people seem to think any kind of electronic device outside of a fancy enclosure is a BOMB. Wave an iPod around an airport and nobody will think twice. Now try removing the enclosure, you’ll end up in the same spot as this lady.
I blame Hollywood.
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