'Is it worth it? It is very unlikely that a terrorist is going to be carrying bomb-making equipment around with them in the street...
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How about the train bombers who carried their explosives onto the trains in backbacks?
"How about the train bombers who carried their explosives onto the trains in backbacks?"
That wasn't 'bomb-making equipment', that was actual bombs. Someone with a bomb in a backpack is hardly likely to agree to a search.