Nigerian with reported Al Qaeda link attempts bomb attack on US airliner

[Dennis Ruhl]

Find out who let him through security and fire them.

Fire the underpaid employee of the low bid contractor?  Maybe it's time for governments around the world to take responsibilty for airline security.  It's really strange that El Al may be the safest airline in the world but it is no accident.

 

[dapaterson]

My favourite take on this so far:

To hell with taking off shoes

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but you’re missing some important items in your carry-ons.”

“You’re kidding, right? I read the TSA web site before I packed. I’ve got the –”

“Yes, you have the 3 ounce canister of pepper spray and the handcuffs. But nothing else meets the requirements.”

“Well, my husband has –”

“Ma’am, I’m going to level with you. The Glock 19 is a good choice, and I’m happy with that, but you only have one ten round magazine, and they’re all 95 grain loads. What if you have to shoot someone?”

“My husband has a 1911, a 357 backup, and –”

“We’re talking about you, ma’am. I’d like you to dig around in that bin over there and find some better ammo. We’ll even upgrade you to a 45 if you want. And the airline is offering free miles for passengers with body armor.”

“Well . . . three magazines? Annnd . . . a set of those cute pink throwing knives?”

“That will do. Have a safe flight.”

 

[OldSolduer]

Fire the underpaid employee of the low bid contractor?  Maybe it's time for governments around the world to take responsibilty for airline security.  It's really strange that El Al may be the safest airline in the world but it is no accident.

I agree. I fly fairly often and it seems to me that the people who perform the security duties are going through the motions.
No private corporation nor airline should  be responsible for airline security, IMO.
BTW, who screens the people working on the ramp? Ie, baggage handlers, refuelers, de-icers etc? Just a thought....

 

[Kat Stevens]

Ever fly into or out of Caracas?  I was half expecting to be loaded into cattle cars for a spot of re education.  You don't want to even crack a smile in that security lineup.  Short hair was enough to get me some extra attention... "You are soldier, no?"

 

[Jarnhamar]

Fire the underpaid employee of the low bid contractor?  Maybe it's time for governments around the world to take responsibilty for airline security.  It's really strange that El Al may be the safest airline in the world but it is no accident.

Thats what I said Dennis.

Do you think we should excuse his or her lack of attention to detail, professionalisim and diligence just because he or she doesn't make $30/hour?  At what pay rate should we hold people responsible for such trivial things as safeguarding a few hundred lives?

:nod:

 

[Dennis Ruhl]

Do you think we should excuse his or her lack of attention to detail, professionalisim and diligence just because he or she doesn't make $30/hour?  At what pay rate should we hold people responsible for such trivial things as safeguarding a few hundred lives?

I am just saying that the system is the problem.  When the whole point is to do the job as cheaply as possible you are probably competing with fast food for workers.  Of course the employee should be fired but will he/she be replaced by one of equal abilities.

 

[muskrat89]

Well in the US I don't think they are "low bid" or even contracted. They're Federal employees and it looks like they start out at about 13-14 bucks/hour.  www.tsa.gov

 

[Jammer]

That's a pretty narrow view of a system that has a lot moving parts to work effectively.
It goes a lot deeper than the screener at the gate.
Inter-agency squabbles, complacency or overconfidence among high level govt departments responsible for the many "watch lists"...(8 at the last count).
The list goes on and on.

 

[Old Sweat]

The people that screwed this up badly were not jusy the screeners at the airport. Admittedly somebody did not react when apparently he purchased a one-way ticket with cash and did not have any luggage to check. There are also fingers to be pointed at the US security and intelligence system which did not react to what were some pretty clear signals in advance of the event.

 

[Sprinting Thistle]

The result of this latest attempt will be the deployment of full body screening units.  The Dutch are already moving on this.  Canada was testing them recently and some airports had intended to deploy them however we can expect to see the rapid implementation of these units swiftly.  These are the units that a passenger walks thru and it captures a body image at the most detailed level.  Civil libertarians view these systems as completely invasive of personal privacy. 

The challenge with no-fly or watch lists are national and international privacy laws.  Nations cannot achieve consensus on privacy and as such the exchange of information on national watch lists runs up against these laws.  Terrorists and trans-national criminals know this and exploit the loop holes. 

 

[PanaEng]

PETN is commonly the primary filler in military grade detonators....

I like the comment" commonly used as an explosive," it is an explosive, and a very powerful one (one of the most powerful)....

As for means of initiation of any explosive device, not my bag to add to get into that here....

Other uses: (from Wikipedia)

Like the related explosive nitroglycerin (glyceryl trinitrate), PETN is also used medically as a vasodilator in the treatment of heart conditions. These drugs work by releasing the signaling gas nitric oxide in the body. A medicine for heart disease, Lentonitrat, is nearly pure PETN.[4]

For initiating it you need a primary explosive - some of which can be initiated by an appropriate liquid being added and starting the chemical reaction. It seems that he did not have enough of the primary explosive or got degraded iot initiate the PETN.

cheers,
Frank

 

[The Bread Guy]

A bit of closure:  life sentence, no parole, for underwear bomber...

A Nigerian man accused of trying to bomb a US-bound flight on Christmas Day 2009 has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 25, pleaded guilty to attempting to blow up a commercial plane as a would-be suicide mission for al-Qaeda.

His family quickly called on the US government to review the sentence.

Abdulmutallab was badly burned when a bomb sewn into his underwear failed to detonate fully, prosecutors said.

Almost 300 people were on the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.

Some of the passengers from the flight were in the courtroom as Federal Judge Nancy Edmunds announced the sentence.

"This was an act of terrorism that cannot be quibbled with," Judge Edmunds said, as she imposed the maximum sentence.

The son of a Nigerian banker and a former engineering student at University College London, Abdulmutallab faced eight counts against him, including terrorism and attempted murder.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a militant group based in Yemen, said it was behind the attempted attack ....

BBC, 16 Feb 12

 

[jollyjacktar]

Good to see Capt Underpants go down in flames like that.  If it was here, he'd be out lighting up his package again in a couple of years. 

 

[Fishbone Jones]

And life without parole over there means you go out in a box at the end.

Not like Canada's 10-25 year 'Life' terms :

 

[jollyjacktar]

And life without parole over there means you go out in a box at the end.

Not like Canada's 10-25 year 'Life' terms :

Agreed.  Life should be life.  Hopefully his is short.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Agreed.  Life should be life.  Hopefully his is short.

I hope he lives to be 100

He's not going anywhere.

 

[Oompah-Loompah@]

And life without parole over there means you go out in a box at the end.

Not like Canada's 10-25 year 'Life' terms :

Declare him a dangerous offender and voila, indefinite imprisonment.  ;D

 

[jollyjacktar]

I hope he lives to be 100

He's not going anywhere.

I'm thinking of this shitbird being housed by the taxpayer.  Why should they get screwed for the next 70+ years.  That's why I say short.  Unless there was a strong possibility to see his whole Jhiad ideals burn to the ground with it's complete system collapse world wide and we win totally.  Then, sure.  Just so he could see the abject failure of his belief system and be a double loser for the rest of his days.  Seeing as that's not going to happen.  Save the taxpayer some dough, short span.