Weekly News (16 Feb 2010 to 22 Feb 2010)

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

On Wednesday (17/02), the body of a man was seen to fall from the wheel well of an Amerijet B762 cargo aircraft shortly after it departed Santo Domingo Airport (SDQ) for Miami (MIA). Authorities were notified by air traffic controllers who saw the body fall. Operations were suspended for 45 mins, while the body was located. It is not known if the dead man was a member of staff, allowing him access to the maneuvering area, or had breached security to get to the aircraft.


EGYPT

On Wednesday (17/02), an anonymous caller claimed that there was a bomb on board an Alitalia A321 preparing to depart Cairo Airport (CAI) for Rome Fiumicino (FCO). Passengers, including the Egyptian Tourism Minister were evacuated, and the aircraft was taken to a remote stand, where it was searched by security forces. Nothing unusual was found. The flight landed at FCO almost four hours late.


INDIA

On Tuesday (16/02), it was reported that two British nationals were arrested at the Radisson Hotel near Delhi Airport (DEL). Hotel staff called the Police after the men were seen using aircraft tracking and monitoring equipment in conjunction with a map of DEL. Police later said that no links to terrorist activity had been established after the men had told officials the equipment was being used for plane spotting.


MEXICO

On Wednesday (17/02), six countries signed a bilateral agreement on aviation security with Canada and the United States. The agreement at a regional meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Mexico City will see Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Panama and the Dominican Republic share more information about passengers, expand the use of biometric data, and improve explosives trace detection capabilities. The eight nations also agreed to enhance passenger screening, circulate details of lost or stolen passports to Interpol, increase the use of APIS, and to share information on detecting false documents, behavior detection and vetting of airport staff.


PAKISTAN

On Tuesday (16/02), it was reported that Police at Islamabad (ISB) arrested a male passenger after members of the Airport Security Force discovered a number of bladed weapons concealed inside footwear in his cabin baggage. The pax was due to travel on a PIA flight to Birmingham (BHX). One source claimed that an attempt to hijack the aircraft had been prevented.


UNITED KINGDOM

On Sunday (14/02), it was reported that a British Airways B744 operating between London Heathrow (LHR) and Mexico City (MEX) was forced to return to LHR two hours into it’s flight, after a discrepancy was discovered in the APIS data of a US citizen on board. The male pax was offloaded when the flight landed at LHR.


On Tuesday (16/02), Inner London Crown Court heard that the wife of one of the men jailed for his part in the 2006 liquid bomb plot failed to tell police of his plans. Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 28, was jailed for at least 40 years for plotting to blow up aircraft flying to the US. Cossor Ali, 28, denies having information which was of material assistance in preventing her husband committing an act of terrorism. The court heard police found notes which Abdulla Ahmed Ali had made while listening to lectures on jihad, which had his wife's fingerprints on them. The case continues.


UNITED STATES

On Sunday (14/02), it was reported that a Pinnacle/Delta Connection CRJ preparing to depart Lansing Airport (LAN) for Detroit (DTW) was forced to return to stand after a male pax on board attempted to open an aircraft door. The aircraft was maneuvering on a taxiway, following a weather delay, when the incident happened. Flight attendants asked several pax to move to the front of the aircraft, including one pax who demanded to sit near the cockpit. The unidentified man was tackled and restrained by his fellow passengers. He was arrested but later released, after it was reported that he had been suffering from a panic attack.


On Monday (15/02), part of Terminal C at Newark Liberty Airport (EWR) was shut down for an hour after security screeners discovered wine bottles in the cabin baggage of a passenger. As a result of the find, the passenger was referred for secondary screening, but ignored the direction, and continued into the restricted area in possession of the prohibited items. Despite an extensive search, the errant pax was not located. It is believed that he boarded his flight and departed EWR.


On Tuesday (16/02), a man appeared in court in Houston in connection with a disruptive passenger incident on a Continental Airlines B767 operating between Amsterdam (AMS) and Houston (IAH) on Saturday 13th. The criminal complaint stated that the man inappropriately touched a female pax seated beside him, and became disruptive when spoken to by the crew. His behaviour led to a member of the FAM team on board breaking cover to sit next to the suspect. The FAM was then assaulted by the male pax, which resulted in his being restrained for the duration of the flight, and arrested when the flight landed at IAH.


On Tuesday (16/02), a passenger preparing to board an Air Wisconsin CRJ preparing to depart Norfolk (ORF) for Philadelphia (PHL) received a text message containing an implied bomb threat. Nothing unusual was found, but the flight was cancelled. All pax were rebooked onto a later flight to PHL. Police at PHL later carried out a search of an Air Wisconsin aircraft which had arrived from ORF. The sender of the text message was later arrested.


On Wednesday (17/02), it was reported that TSA screeners at a number of airports will shortly be provided with a portable trace detection capability which will enable them to carry out random screening of passengers at departure gates and at areas throughout the restricted area. The new programme has been successfully trialled for a period of 17 days at five airports. President Obama’s fiscal year 2011 budget prioritises key investments in aviation security, including $39 million to purchase approximately 800 portable ETD machines.


On Thursday (18/02), a United Airlines B752, operating between Denver (DEN) and San Francisco (SFO) was diverted to Salt Lake City (SLC) after a threatening note was discovered on a beverage cart by a member of cabin crew. The note was given to the pilot who decided that the threat was serious enough to divert the aircraft. The aircraft was directed to a remote stand, where it was evacuated and searched by Police. All baggage was offloaded and searched by explosives detection dogs. Nothing unusual was found.


TSA Weekly Stats (8th - 14th February, 2010)

5 artfully concealed prohibited items found at checkpoints

24 firearms found at checkpoints

22 pax arrested due to suspicious behaviour or fraudulent travel documents