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Man flies in to LAX wearing body armor and with a suitcase full of weapons

Dittohead not!

Dittohead not!

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[h=1]Man arrested at LAX was wearing body armor, had suitcase full of weapons[/h]
LOS ANGELES - Why would a man flying from Japan to Boston need to wear a bulletproof vest and travel with a suitcase full of weapons, leg irons, a smoke grenade, a gas mask and a biohazard suit?

That's what federal investigators are trying to figure out despite a lack of cooperation from 28-year-old Yongda Huang Harris, who was arrested during a stopover at Los Angeles International Airport, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Tuesday.
LOS ANGELES - Why would a man flying from Japan to Boston need to wear a bulletproof vest and travel with a suitcase full of weapons, leg irons, a smoke grenade, a gas mask and a biohazard suit?
That's what federal investigators are trying to figure out despite a lack of cooperation from 28-year-old Yongda Huang Harris, who was arrested during a stopover at Los Angeles International Airport, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Tuesday.
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This one was on TV news as well.
 
The better question is, why would someone name their kid Yongda Huang Harris?
 
MaggieD said:
Spooky.

My other question would be, "How did this idiot get on a plane flying from Japan to the United States?"
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Seems not to have been a problem:

Yasunori Oshima, an official at Japan's Land and Transport Ministry's aviation safety department, said there had been no official inquiry or request from U.S. authorities to look into the case, which he said would have been more of a concern if the hazardous materials were brought on board rather than checked.

"The case does not seem to pose any immediate concerns about aviation security measures in Japan," he said.

Airport police said they do not believe the case constitutes illegal conduct under the Japanese domestic criminal code, but Japan may cooperate at the request of U.S. investigators.
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Dittohead not! said:
Seems not to have been a problem:
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It was my stupidly ridiculous impression that every flight coming into the United States was subject to the same scrutiny and requirements at its source as a flight originating in the US. What a fool I am.

What the HELL??? What difference do all of our security measures make if flights from other countries into the United States aren't held to the same standards?
 
MaggieD said:
It was my stupidly ridiculous impression that every flight coming into the United States was subject to the same scrutiny and requirements at its source as a flight originating in the US. What a fool I am.

What the HELL??? What difference do all of our security measures make if flights from other countries into the United States aren't held to the same standards?
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Good question.

Maybe we just get a kick out of taking off our shoes and belts, losing bottles of shampoo, and having a small penknife deemed a deadly weapon.
 
The article says, "a suitcase full of weapons" but never says what weapons. So, what weapons?
 
Guns for the most part would not be a threat to the flight if they were in a suitcase in the baggage hold. As for the for the body armor, I don't think there's any law against being all trussed up in uncomfortable and hot body armor for 12 hours on a transcontinental flight. Imagine if the suffering bastard was also seated next to screaming babies. Whatever his purpose for wearing the body armor, it couldn't have been worth the feckin misery. :lamo
 
Patrickt said:
The article says, "a suitcase full of weapons" but never says what weapons. So, what weapons?
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A search of Harris' checked luggage uncovered numerous suspicious items, including knives, body bags, a hatchet, a collapsible baton, a biohazard suit, a full-face respirator, billy clubs, handcuffs, leg irons and a device to repel dogs, authorities said.
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Also mentioned: lead-filled, leather-coated billy clubs, a smoke grenade, and a collapsible baton
 
MaggieD said:
It was my stupidly ridiculous impression that every flight coming into the United States was subject to the same scrutiny and requirements at its source as a flight originating in the US. What a fool I am.

What the HELL??? What difference do all of our security measures make if flights from other countries into the United States aren't held to the same standards?
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US TSA does not check US-boung passengers from abroad. That is handled by securities in the countries from which the flight is originating.
 
somewhere, the ninjas are laughing
 
I wonder if there was an air marshall on board.
 
MaggieD said:
It was my stupidly ridiculous impression that every flight coming into the United States was subject to the same scrutiny and requirements at its source as a flight originating in the US. What a fool I am.

What the HELL??? What difference do all of our security measures make if flights from other countries into the United States aren't held to the same standards?
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Checked in luggage has long been a weak link in the entire security chain. I'm sure there are numerous ways it could be exploited to endanger the flight even without direct access especially if you were merely intent on destroying it and not a hostage situation.
 
Loki97 said:
Checked in luggage has long been a weak link in the entire security chain. I'm sure there are numerous ways it could be exploited to endanger the flight even without direct access especially if you were merely intent on destroying it and not a hostage situation.
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This happened to me. One a business trip to Vegas the screwed over my boarding pass and I thus I was the last person on the less one hour flight. I had a small overnight bag that I always carry on. Because I was the last person on the plane people carrying two bags, oversized bags and all kinds of **** you see stored in the overhead there was no room for my carry on bag. The attendant said I had to check. I'm already less than pleased because I have to sit in the middle seat because they ****ed up my boarding pass and now I have to check my bag, which means I must wait at baggage to retrieve my bag instead of walking off the aircraft and catching a taxi as I had intended to do.

Phoenix to Las Vegas is a very short flight. Point is there are no stop overs. We arrive in Las Vegas. I wait at the baggage terminal and - you guessed it - no bag. Now if I'm the last one on my bag should be one of the first off right? They lost it! Couldn't find it. Maybe it was left in Phoenix they said and they'd bring it to me at my hotel. It never arrived. They couldn't find it. Talk about getting ****ed over by the airlines! How could they screw up so much concerning a short flight?

They found my bags the next afternoon.

Airlines are notorious for losing bags. It happens all the time. That's another reason why people carry on when they can. Amazon can tell me the minute my order leaves the warehouse and I can track the shipment to my office or to my home. They're amazing. But they airlines? They can't find their ass with both hands! Something's wrong with that. They X-ray your hold baggage, they search it from time to time, but they can't effing track it! So how safe is hold baggage when you as an airline don't really know where it is, and you as an airline don't know where it is a lot.

Once in London there must have been some intelligence with a severe warning regarding air travel. I was on my way back home. This time they were straight up profiling Middle Eastern people and they weren't being shy about it. Their were long queues, with airline and/or security people culling out people who clearly looked and/or were dressed Middle Eastern. Many were sent to other line for further questioning and whatever. It was that kind of day at Heathrow.

As they questioned me while I stood waiting to reach a counter I could barely see in the distance, they asked specific questions. They asked questions about the contents of my baggage and whether I had anything at all electronic in my bag specifically cameras and that kind of thing. Well, I damn sure didn't want to be told to get in yet another queue because of my baggage contents, so I lied. I told them I had nothing electronic in my hold baggage, even though I did. They then wrapped my bag twice over with, as I recall red tape. I can't remember if it had wording on it. But they allowed me to stay in line. As far as I can tell they never broke the tape and inspected my bag.

Go figure.
 
Risky Thicket said:
This happened to me. One a business trip to Vegas the screwed over my boarding pass and I thus I was the last person on the less one hour flight. I had a small overnight bag that I always carry on. Because I was the last person on the plane people carrying two bags, oversized bags and all kinds of **** you see stored in the overhead there was no room for my carry on bag. The attendant said I had to check. I'm already less than pleased because I have to sit in the middle seat because they ****ed up my boarding pass and now I have to check my bag, which means I must wait at baggage to retrieve my bag instead of walking off the aircraft and catching a taxi as I had intended to do.

Phoenix to Las Vegas is a very short flight. Point is there are no stop overs. We arrive in Las Vegas. I wait at the baggage terminal and - you guessed it - no bag. Now if I'm the last one on my bag should be one of the first off right? They lost it! Couldn't find it. Maybe it was left in Phoenix they said and they'd bring it to me at my hotel. It never arrived. They couldn't find it. Talk about getting ****ed over by the airlines! How could they screw up so much concerning a short flight?

They found my bags the next afternoon.

Airlines are notorious for losing bags. It happens all the time. That's another reason why people carry on when they can. Amazon can tell me the minute my order leaves the warehouse and I can track the shipment to my office or to my home. They're amazing. But they airlines? They can't find their ass with both hands! Something's wrong with that. They X-ray your hold baggage, they search it from time to time, but they can't effing track it! So how safe is hold baggage when you as an airline don't really know where it is, and you as an airline don't know where it is a lot.

Once in London there must have been some intelligence with a severe warning regarding air travel. I was on my way back home. This time they were straight up profiling Middle Eastern people and they weren't being shy about it. Their were long queues, with airline and/or security people culling out people who clearly looked and/or were dressed Middle Eastern. Many were sent to other line for further questioning and whatever. It was that kind of day at Heathrow.

As they questioned me while I stood waiting to reach a counter I could barely see in the distance, they asked specific questions. They asked questions about the contents of my baggage and whether I had anything at all electronic in my bag specifically cameras and that kind of thing. Well, I damn sure didn't want to be told to get in yet another queue because of my baggage contents, so I lied. I told them I had nothing electronic in my hold baggage, even though I did. They then wrapped my bag twice over with, as I recall red tape. I can't remember if it had wording on it. But they allowed me to stay in line. As far as I can tell they never broke the tape and inspected my bag.

Go figure.
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They put barcoded tags on your bags now if it's place below deck. Sometimes they just put a yellow tag on your bag with a tear-off number for bags you check in at the plane. Then you pick it up as you disembark.
 
MaggieD said:
It was my stupidly ridiculous impression that every flight coming into the United States was subject to the same scrutiny and requirements at its source as a flight originating in the US. What a fool I am.

What the HELL??? What difference do all of our security measures make if flights from other countries into the United States aren't held to the same standards?
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They are held to that standard. I'm not sure what you think the problem is. You can't access the cargo hold in-flight.
 
Deuce said:
They are held to that standard. I'm not sure what you think the problem is. You can't access the cargo hold in-flight.
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He was wearing body armor, for God's sake.
 
Lord Tammerlain said:
Yes he was wearing body armour, but had no weapons on him or access to weapons.
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That's not the point. How did he get through airport security wearing body armour? I was responding to a poster who implied international security was just fine since the weapons were in cargo. So I get on a flight in Paris looking like the Batman killer and that flies? (Excuse the pun.)
 
MaggieD said:
That's not the point. How did he get through airport security wearing body armour? I was responding to a poster who implied international security was just fine since the weapons were in cargo. So I get on a flight in Paris looking like the Batman killer and that flies? (Excuse the pun.)
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My question would be

Is body armour not allowed on flights? It does not present a danger to the flight, the crew or the passengers, it was i am sure inspected to ensure it was not hiding any weapons or explosives
 
Lord Tammerlain said:
My question would be

Is body armour not allowed on flights? It does not present a danger to the flight, the crew or the passengers, it was i am sure inspected to ensure it was not hiding any weapons or explosives
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If you honestly think someone can get through TSA looking like our Batman Killer, I just don't know what to say.
 
The only thing he had that wasn't allowed was the smoke grenade. Even if it is in the baggage area, it might have been possible for the smoke to get into the cabin. Unlikely, but remotely possible. Most likely, it would have set off a warning in the cockpit and the aircraft would have diverted. But, what I get from this article is that all of the weapons were in the checked baggage.
 
MaggieD said:
It was my stupidly ridiculous impression that every flight coming into the United States was subject to the same scrutiny and requirements at its source as a flight originating in the US. What a fool I am.

What the HELL??? What difference do all of our security measures make if flights from other countries into the United States aren't held to the same standards?
Click to expand...

All flights into the United States must depart from a secure area in which all passengers and crew face the same rules as they do in the United States. Some times that secure area is the entire terminal, some times they screen you as you enter the aircraft. Now, while everyone must follow the same rules, I can't guarantee that the ground security coordinators in foreign countries will be as "diligent" as they are in the US. But, I do know most airlines train their own GSC's to comply with TSA rules.
 
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