[EverOnward]

"They are messing with people's minds and playing games."

The game is to identify sky marshals (going so far as to find out where they live) and the flights sky marshals are most likely to fly on. Sky marshals are finding knives taped underneath seats in planes AFTER the plane's "security check." There were box cutters and another sharp object (have to recheck) found in a shampoo and a lotion bottle at the Salt Lake Airport.

[Judith Anne]

I think you are exactly correct, that is, to identify air marshalls. I think the episode with the lady in the restaurant with the "medical students" was the same kind of exercise--to find out what the official response would be, so scenarios could be invented to evade it.

Tin-foil hat FIRMLY ON. With no apologies to the "religion of peace."

[Vic3O3]

There were box cutters and another sharp object (have to recheck) found in a shampoo and a lotion bottle at the Salt Lake Airport

As I recall that stuff was caught in the preflight security check(Amazing...!)