French Police Misplace Explosives on Jet

[Tab]

PARIS - Police at Paris' top airport lost track of a passenger's bag in which plastic explosives were placed to train bomb-sniffing dogs, police said Saturday. Warned that the bag may have gotten on any of nearly 90 flights from Charles de Gaulle, authorities searched planes upon arrival in Los Angeles and New York.

French police said the explosives were harmless and there was no chance of their going off, since no detonators were connected to them.
...
French police at Charles de Gaulle deliberately placed up to five ounces of plastic explosives into a passenger's luggage Friday evening, police spokesman Pierre Bouquin said.

But a "momentary lack of surveillance" led to the bag being lost on a conveyor belt carrying luggage from check-in to planes, he said.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=5&u=/ap/20041204/ap_on_re_eu/france_lost_explosives

[ohioliberal]

1. Well Duh!

Anyone can attach the detonators to them, those French really know how to police.

[Flagg]

2. D'oh!

[Ian David]

3. Oh, big deal

We ourselves lost what... 300 million pounds of the stuff that we had in our custody in Iraq?

Not to mention our Uranium that we managed to lose, too?

So, the french lose ONE little suitcase of plastic explosive.

We should cut them some slack.

They were, after all also right about Iraq.

Speaking of Uranium: If terrorists ever learned to turn depleted Uranium anti-tank shells into a weapon, do you think we'll finally stop using the stuff?

[ZR2]

4. The reason it's called depleted uranium

Is because it is no longer radioactive. It is used as a projectile only becuase it is very dense and therefore carries a lot more energy with it.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

5. It's only a tiny fraction 'depleted.' That's a gross misnomer.

It's still highly dangerous and is showing up in the blood and reproductive systems of our troops.

[Massacure]

6. Well it is radioactive, but 40% less so than natural uranium in the ground

Natural uranium is safe to touch.

The problem with depleted uranium is that it is a heavy metal and can poison people similar to lead and mercury. It's ironic how they switched from lead to depleted uranium. Out of the frying pan and into the fire I guess.

[Kellanved]

11. safe too touch, but not safe to inhale

And inhaling DU dust is the major problem, it is more toxic than a "mere" heavy metal .

[Massacure]

15. Yes, of course it is more toxic than lead. But it isn't the rad that kills

DU normally doesn't cause genetic mutation or birth defects unless you inhale or ingest large amounts of it (large as in grams). However it only takes about 10 milligrams to cause kidney damage because of its chemical toxicity.

Edit: Oh, and I used the World Health Organization website for it. They are pretty fair as they have complained about the U.S. Miltary's use of DU.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs257/en/

[jpak]

8. I believe this was a reference to the yellowcake and low-enriched U

that was looted from "nucular" reseach facilities in the glorious aftermath of ChimpCo's catastrophically successful preemptive invasion of I-raq.

It was under IAEA seal.

Supposedly "we" got most of it back - that is if you believe anything that ChimpCo sez on the subject...

[xchrom]

17. lol -- you're funny!

oh you weren't kidding?
that's sad.

[bin.dare]

18. Dead wrong about depleted uranium

DU is as radioactive as regular uranium. in addition, when it burns it becomes toxic --- this is what makes it so deadly.

check out this buzz flash movie

http://www.bushflash.com/pl_hi.html

[genieroze]

7. "Indeed, it's possible that someone will have a surprise when he opens

his bag"
I guess so.:think:

[LisaL]

10. If that someone made it to US, they are probably dragging him

into federal prison right about now. He is never getting out.
:evilgrin:

[RebelYell]

9. "French police said the explosives were harmless..."

"More than 300 passengers were evacuated..."

[BonjourUSA]

12. I find that very funny, no ?

[uppityperson]

13. I love the final line in this article:

"Indeed, it's possible that someone will have a surprise when he opens his bag."

I can just imagine this. "Oh help us, terrorists are putting explosives in our grips!" "Good thing THAT didn't explode." "Hmmm, think I'll take it out back and see what it does." etc

[Renew Deal]

14. I bet you someone wouldn't know what the stuff is

unless it's marked C4. That's the point where I would shit my pants, then call the cops and tell them there is C4 in the house. Oh joy. :nuke:

[xchrom]

16. whad they do? hire americans?

[Tab]

19. And what about this?

Is this a passenger who works for the French Authorities? Because if not, and they just took a passenger at random, what if at a further stop they get intercepted and expected to explain the trace amounts of C4 (or whatever) that was in their bag?

Were those things so perfectly packaged that they can't leave any traces (making them undetectable), because it's assumed they can be detected, and if they can be detected they can leave trace amounts that can be identified down the line.

If I were that passenger, I'd like to know that some French authorities were "temporarily" stuffing explosives into my bag, preferably with an official letter and phone # that I can possibly hope to use when I'm sitting in Guantanamo with no idea of how the C4 magically ended up in my bag.

[Boosterman]

20. excellent point

I have a feeling some rethinking of procedures and training will be forthcoming.

[Endangered Specie]

21. Has anyone surrendered yet?