BrianH
At the Start
From The Guardian:
Careless French bomb squad causes terror alert
Amelia Gentleman in Paris
Monday December 6, 2004
The Guardian
A moment of carelessness had humiliating consequences for French bomb squad officers, when they accidentally mislaid an explosive device, hidden for training purposes in an unknown passenger's suitcase, triggering a global terror alert.
Officers training sniffer-dogs at Roissy airport outside Paris this weekend slipped 150 grams of plastic explosive in the side pocket of a blue bag, selected randomly from luggage waiting to be loaded on to a plane.
While they went to find a trainee dog to sniff it out, baggage handlers put the suitcase on a conveyor belt, where it was swiftly dispatched on to a waiting plane.
Last night the explosive was still missing.
Since the bomb squad officers had failed to check where the bag was travelling to, they had no option but to inform staff on 90 flights heading out of Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport on Friday evening of the possible presence of explosives in the hold. Police, airlines and airport officials all over the world were put on standby.
French police admitted that there had been "a momentary lack of surveillance", but in a damage limitation exercise, tried to reassure their colleagues internationally that the small package had no detonator, and would not react to movement, shock or fire, and was therefore "no more dangerous than a bar of chocolate".
The embarrassment was nevertheless profound.
Four of the flights were en route to the United States, some were domestic French flights and others took off for Japan and Brazil.
The 362 passengers on an Air France flight to Los Angeles were evacuated from their plane and delayed for three hours while their luggage was inspected.
The US Transportation Security Administration said several planes were searched on arrival in New York. US news channels carried reports of the oversight hourly.
The two officers responsible are to face an internal investigation.
"It's clear that there was an error. This kind of thing should not happen," a police spokesman said last night.
French airports have intensified their anti-bomb surveillance measures after Richard Reid passed through security with explosive hidden in his shoe two years ago and boarded a flight to Miami.
No passenger has yet reported finding bomb-making materials in their baggage.
A police spokesman conceded that the owner of a dark blue suitcase with a retractable handle and wheels might be in for an unpleasant shock when he discovered the lump of clay-like explosives planted in a side pocket.
"One could imagine that the passenger might feel annoyed," he said.
Careless French bomb squad causes terror alert
Amelia Gentleman in Paris
Monday December 6, 2004
The Guardian
A moment of carelessness had humiliating consequences for French bomb squad officers, when they accidentally mislaid an explosive device, hidden for training purposes in an unknown passenger's suitcase, triggering a global terror alert.
Officers training sniffer-dogs at Roissy airport outside Paris this weekend slipped 150 grams of plastic explosive in the side pocket of a blue bag, selected randomly from luggage waiting to be loaded on to a plane.
While they went to find a trainee dog to sniff it out, baggage handlers put the suitcase on a conveyor belt, where it was swiftly dispatched on to a waiting plane.
Last night the explosive was still missing.
Since the bomb squad officers had failed to check where the bag was travelling to, they had no option but to inform staff on 90 flights heading out of Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport on Friday evening of the possible presence of explosives in the hold. Police, airlines and airport officials all over the world were put on standby.
French police admitted that there had been "a momentary lack of surveillance", but in a damage limitation exercise, tried to reassure their colleagues internationally that the small package had no detonator, and would not react to movement, shock or fire, and was therefore "no more dangerous than a bar of chocolate".
The embarrassment was nevertheless profound.
Four of the flights were en route to the United States, some were domestic French flights and others took off for Japan and Brazil.
The 362 passengers on an Air France flight to Los Angeles were evacuated from their plane and delayed for three hours while their luggage was inspected.
The US Transportation Security Administration said several planes were searched on arrival in New York. US news channels carried reports of the oversight hourly.
The two officers responsible are to face an internal investigation.
"It's clear that there was an error. This kind of thing should not happen," a police spokesman said last night.
French airports have intensified their anti-bomb surveillance measures after Richard Reid passed through security with explosive hidden in his shoe two years ago and boarded a flight to Miami.
No passenger has yet reported finding bomb-making materials in their baggage.
A police spokesman conceded that the owner of a dark blue suitcase with a retractable handle and wheels might be in for an unpleasant shock when he discovered the lump of clay-like explosives planted in a side pocket.
"One could imagine that the passenger might feel annoyed," he said.
