Airlines To Be Warned On Carry-ons; Cell phones, cameras, electric devices suspect

NBC News ^ | 08-04-03

[Brian S]

By Pete Williams NBC NEWS Aug. 4 — A new security advisory is about to go out to the nation’s airlines and airports. The Homeland Security Department will advise extra attention for some types of personal carry-on items, including cameras and electronics. This comes as airlines adjust to new rules limiting access to foreign travelers passing through the United States.

THE CONCERN FOLLOWS the discovery of apparent prototype weapons in al-Qaida safe houses overseas and interrogation of a captured, high-ranking al-Qaida operative. Officials say al-Qaida terrorists considered trying to hide explosives in particular models of cell phones, cameras and simple electronic devices, such as radio boom boxes.

[Dog]

fyi..

[Darksheare]

GREAT!
Stuffed animals, camera flash stun guns, and boom box bombs.

[GrandmaPatriot]

Next we will all have to have no luggage and be naked. What a horrid sight that will be.

[Political Junkie Too]

It's getting to the point where the only thing left to do is strip people naked, strap them into their seats, and sedate them for the ride. They can use the oxygen masks to knock out the riders with doses based on the length of the flight.

Service levels are only one notch above this, anyway.

-PJ

[Mulder]

Yet another reason not to fly on Fritz Airlines.

[Darksheare]

I dunno, the other day I saw some women that wouldn't have been half bad, in all honesty.
And I'm still young enough to 'not care' about where my eyes are pointing.
Of course, if we have to do that, then Hillary has to as well.. *shudders*
No! No! Please GOD! NO!

[Drew68]

What looks innocent may not always be.

Available in .22 caliber.

[Brian S]

Hmmm...if they start pumping nitrous oxide through the oxygen masks, I just might start flying again! ;)

[Arpege92]

"It's getting to the point where the only thing left to do is strip people naked, strap them into their seats, and sedate them for the ride."

As a person who is afraid to fly, I wouldn't mind be sedated for the entire trip! :-}

[basil]

It was probably 8 or 10 years ago that I was flying back from Munich. Before boarding the plane, the security people made me take a photo with my camera, and shoot some video with my super 8.

[AAABEST]

Well with those new x-ray machines you might as well be naked, because the see everything. You're a grandma so you get to take all your clothes off now anyway. As far as having no luggage, you have none that won't be gone through.

They see and check everything. Every part of your body and everything you own at any time they want. If you get uppity you go to jail.

[El Gato]

The worst part of all this is that even a nerd like me can think of several ways to get explosives onto an aircraft, even in todays "strip search" environment. Ways that I choose not to go into here.

I had to unbuckle my belt and remove my shoes and billfold after setting off the alarm on Friday. The numbers of TSA employees in San Antonio did not seem excessive, but they had about twice as many as they needed, at Dallas Love field on Sunday, especially in the baggage check in area.

While they are locking the barn door after the horse is gone, the bad guys will revert to blowing up airplanes, rather than hijacking them and then crashing them into things. It's not as spectacular, but it does hold alot of potential for economic damage.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

IIRC, a boom-box bomb is what brought down the Pan Am 747 over Lockerbie.

[krb]

I actually think this is a good idea. As an embedded engineer, I have often wondered how the cursory check they give a subset of the people's electronic equipment is sufficient.

Even though I don't know how to go about obtaining any deadly or explosive stuff, I know that it's super easy to throw together a simple 8 bit micro with an LCD controller; all the common micros have 'em now. A baddie could take apart a common cell phone and fake a user interface and have a bomb hidden in it way too easliy, I think.

[AAABEST]

The worst part of all this is that even a nerd like me can think of several ways to get explosives onto an aircraft, even in todays "strip search" environment.

Two points. 1. You're not a nerd, you're on of the best posters on the board. 2. A statement like the one you made above could actually set these a$$h01e$ into motion to start looking up YOUR rearend, thereby proving your point.

Then they wonder why nobody is flying.

[Coop]

Next we will all have to have no luggage and be naked. What a horrid sight that will be.

Better that than having your fully clothed body parts and luggage strewn across several square miles...

[Coop]

Could you possibly whine any more? I've yet to hear you come up with a better plan of action. But you're always quick with the criticism.

Then they wonder why nobody is flying.

Oh, yeah! It's the TSA's fault. It has nothing to do with terrorists blowing planes out of the sky or flying them into buildings. Nope. Not a thing.