List of Security Incidents Grows: Airlines, Airports On Edge
Jan. 7, 2010— -- The Hawaiian Airlines incident yesterday where two F-15 fighter jets were dispatched to escort a plane's return to Portland, Ore., was only one in a growing list of security alerts following the attempted Christmas Day bombing as airlines and airports remain on edge.
The jets intercepted the Maui-bound plane after a passenger handed a flight attendant a "disturbing note" and refused to let go of his carry-on bag.
Law enforcement officials met the plane when it landed in Portland and the passenger was removed. The 230 other passengers eventually made it to Hawaii.
Another incident occurred in Miami last night when a Northwest pilot returned to the gate after he expressed concern about a passenger's behavior.
After boarding the plane the passenger stated "I want to kill all the Jews," The Associated Press reported.
Police and security officials removed Toledo, Ohio, resident Mansor Mohammad Asad, 43, from the plane and arrested him, the AP reported.
Three security incidents occurred in different airports on Tuesday as part of a terminal was evacuated in Minneapolis after a bomb sniffing dog reacted to a piece of luggage that turned out to be harmless.
In Bakersfield, Calif., flights were halted after security found a suspicious substance in a checked bag, which turned out to be honey. And in South Carolina 50 people were evacuated from a concourse after a bomb-sniffing dog detected something in the nose wheel of a Delta plane. Security later gave an all clear.
"When we find a can of honey, or we find a can of play dough that doesn't mean we have better security, that simply means we've shut terminals down for the wrong reason," Michael Boyd, and aviation consultant, said.
Passengers can walk through security scanners at Kennedy Airport with pieces of titanium, found in knives and other weapons, the New York Post reported.
A Post reporter said she carried an eight-inch piece of titanium through a checkpoint twice and the alarms failed to detect it.
Perhaps the most serious incident occurred Sunday night at Newark International airport after a passenger walked through the security checkpoint exit into the secure area.
ABC News has learned that occurred when a TSA officer left his post at that exit for two minutes. But because airport security cameras weren't working it took TSA more than two hours to ask for and review airline security tapes and then shut down the concourse to rescreen thousands of passengers.
It now appears the man who breached security was actually following his sweetheart into the secure area after a passionate goodbye.
