Check those pockets..unless you like jail

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killermarmot

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I know probably all of you have reached into your pocket for change and a couple looose rounds and some empty brass came with it and you got a pretty funny look from whoever was behind the register, well that's a little better then what happened to this guy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3396667.stm
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Terror suspect held at Heathrow

A Sudanese man stopped at Heathrow Airport for allegedly carrying five bullets in his coat has been held under the Terrorism Act.

The 45-year-old man, who flew into Heathrow from Washington DC in transit to Dubai, was initially arrested under the Firearms Act.

The man was picked up by routine airport checks on Wednesday morning.

He was taken to a central London station to be interviewed by anti-terror police on Wednesday night.

The British airline pilots' union, Balpa, says "questions will be asked" about security at the Washington end.

The man was questioned earlier by Heathrow police, while forensic experts examined the ammunition that security staff said they found on him.

Passengers who came in on the same flight said the man told staff he did not realise the items were in his coat pocket.

He arrived at the airport's Terminal 3 at 0740 GMT on a Virgin Atlantic flight, police said.

Earlier, a police source said the man was not a known terrorist suspect.

'No threat'

A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman confirmed the man had flown from Washington Dulles to Heathrow on flight VS022 in transit to board a flight to Dubai with another airline .

The airline said in a statement the "item" seized did not pose a threat to the aircraft.

The statement read: "The safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is Virgin Atlantic's top priority.

"Screening of passengers at Washington Dulles airport is the responsibility of the Transportation Security Administration."

The TSA and the United States Department of Homeland Security were not available for comment.

Wednesday's incident follows American insistence that international flights to or over the US would be required to carry armed guards in certain cases over the festive period.

The decision came amid renewed fears that terrorists may be trying to use aircraft to stage a new attack.

The US request was followed by repeated disruption of the British Airways BA223 flight from Heathrow to Washington.

The flight was cancelled on 1 and 2 January and delayed on each of the next five days amid security fears and under guidance from the government.

A spokesman for British airline pilots' union Balpa said the detection of the man showed that security on the ground was crucial.

He said: "This is where we need to concentrate our investment, and not be diverted into cul-de-sacs like sky marshals.

"Obviously there will be a lot of questions asked in America as to how he got on the plane undetected."

David Learmount, operations and security director at Flight International magazine, said security was ultimately dependent on human vigilance.

"You only need vigilance to lapse for one piece of luggage and that bag gets through", he said.
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Good advice. Regardless of whether this guy is a terrorist or not...

I can see how it would be possible for me to wind up in Airport security with a piece of brass in my pocket. Or a spent .22 case. Or even a loaded round.

Bad news any which way.
 
I know probably all of you have reached into your pocket for change and a couple looose rounds and some empty brass came with it

Nope.

I don't carry loose rounds or brass in my pockets and even if I did, I empty my pockets whenever I take my pants off because I've lost stuff by leaving them in pockets and having it slip out when I pick up my pants.

In no way can I imagine myself getting on a plane with brass or cartridges in my pocket.

Chris
 
while forensic experts examined the ammunition that security staff said they found on him.
"What are these funny numbers on the big end .....:confused: "

:D


"Red alert: be on the lookout for a guy named Remington and a guy named Wnchester. We think they may be connected to a terrorist plot."
 
I've found brass in my pocket more than once...

Every couple of months or so, it seems brass bounces into my pocket after bouncing off the lane wall.

No biggie.

I DO scrupulously check everything before getting on a plane though, for just that reason.
 
I wish reporters knew what they were talking about. Were they loaded cartridges, or just plain bullets? Or even empty brass? Ah, well, terrorism foiled again either way. :rolleyes:
 
I have done that probably repeatedly years ago. Had one or two mangled rounds in my carry-on bag, which occasionally used as a range bag. Found them one day under the removable floor of the bag. I am surprised they were not detected at the airports.

The rounds were mangled because the new semi-auto rifle I was using was POS that often jammed trying to chamber a round. The round/s were probably not in a firable condition. I had tossed them in the bag in case the gunsmith wanted to see them, and forgot about them.

I guess I was lucky, or the screeners were sloppy.
 
And it could happen here, not just in the U.K. It's appalling that this event caused more than a raised eyebrow, never mind international headlines.

The appropriate response is simply, "Dude, you've got too much junk in your pockets."

But I always check my pockets, too.
 
Why he could have hijacked a plane with one of those rounds.

Hijacker:"This plane goes to Cuba or I'll use a nail to hit the primer of this round in my hand."

Me: "Go ahead" :D
 
I took to of my grad assistants and some of their friends to the range Dec. of last year. Most were Indian and had never shot before. Several took home empty cases as souvenirs of the day. One, visiting from Detroit threw his in his bag and promptly forgot about it. During a trip home to India, Indian airport screeners found it. He was detained for hours and accused of being a terrorist over a single piece of 45 ACP brass.


David
 
If these were live rounds, they might have been able to be used in a make-shift gun brought onto the plane in pieces. One guy brings a 'barrel' which is not a like barrels we use in our firearms but possibly strong enough. Another guy brings some kind of a wooden handle, another guy some form of striker and this joker brings the bullets. A single shot Sten Gun-type gun? Is it inconceivable? I am not sure if it's even possible.

Yes, it's not semi-auto, but shoot one round (whether to scare people ot take someone out) and who on the plane knows the difference or would have the wits to figure out there is a need to reload manually?

In any case, any joker from anywhere (even more so a terrorist state) who brings live rounds onto a plane deserves every bit of scrutiny they get. In a case like this, I would prefer to err on the side of caution. Especially as long as us regular Joes are not allowed to carry on planes, at least let's stop the bad guys.

I am no fan of the TSA and they messed up big-time on this one. How did the guy get past them in Washington? I hope that TSA crew of screeners is held accountable for this lapse.

As far as my travel prep, I have all my metal pieces which I check to make sure are keys and stuff and none of my knives or knife-key/tool thingeys) in a few zippered pockets of whatever jacket I am taking on the plane. All I do is take off the jacket, throw it on the conveyor and whiz through (when I am not asked to take off my shoes). I think it's fair that no one (except pilots and air marshals [until CCW laws are enacted for air travel - I can be hopeful, can't I?]) should have live rounds on their person when on a plane.

Spent casings are another issue however, as common sense (of which there is a scarcity in screeners) should dictate that the screeners do a bit more thorough search just to be sure, but no one needs to be whisked off to some terror room to be dealt with.

Might the guy have been profiled? I like to think so.

NA26
 
If you shoot semi-auto pistol at an indoor range, you can expect spent brass to wind up in your shirt or coat pocket. The stuff bounces everywhere. If you pick up brass at the range, some will end up in your pocket. So it's easy to forget to check and wind up with empty brass at the airport security station.

But what was the guy in London carrying? One or two rounds? All I heard was a Sudanese guy was carrying "ammunition". I was expecting him to be wrapped in bandoliers under his robes.

It sounds like it was probably nothing, certainly not worth all the news attention.

On the other hand, if they strip-search every Sudanese who even gets near an airport, that's ok.

Regards.
 
I could see how a couple loose rounds could end up getting lost in a jacket pocket.

This whole anti-terrorism crap is getting way out of hand. It used to be that you actually had to have intent to do something wrong to get arrested. :banghead:
 
Passengers who came in on the same flight said the man told staff he did not realise the items were in his coat pock

I wonder how they "caught" him? Why would he say anything to people on the flight unless it was an accident?

And yes I can imagine having brass or rounds in my bag. Before 9-11 I arrived home to find a spent rifle round in the bottom of my carry on, which had served as a range bag before. I was kind of surprised it wasn't seen on X-ray since the profile is so identifiable. At the time I didn't think much of it, today I'm more careful.:uhoh:
 
Remember that if this had happened in Mexico the person would now be in prision. Mexico is extreamly intollerent of anything relating to firearms enterint their country. They just like the one way exit of their peiopl into this country.
 
I'm getting really paranoid. My first thought -- I wondered if somehow the Brits had planted the ammunition on the guy to have an "issue" to toss back at us Americans because we want armed sky-marshalls on the planes and we held up some of their flights.

But that is just nutty.

Isn't it?:confused:
 
And yet another place to check...

More than once, I found brass in the cuffs of my pants. Usually it falls out when I hang them upside down in the closet, but not always the first time.
 
hang on!

You don't want bullets in your pockets for health reasons.


think lead and chemicals that can harm you. Try to wash your hands before you eat. Certainly after range practice. And now certainly after fishing through your 'loaded' pocket.

-signed, MOM.:evil:
 
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