Slovak Air Security Test Goes Very Wrong

[Frank Booth]

Source: New York Times

In what no doubt seemed like a good idea at the time, Slovak officials decided to test security at an airport in in central Slovakia on Saturday by concealing plastic explosives in eight suitcases and waiting to see what happened next.

Here’s what happened next: airport security intercepted seven of the suitcases but failed to detect 96 grams of the plastic explosive RDX loaded into one bag, which belonged to a Slovak electrician who lives in Ireland and had no idea his luggage had been tampered with. The man boarded his flight to Dublin, retrieved his bag and went home to his apartment.

The man then unpacked but, The Irish Times reports, “the explosives had been concealed so well that he did not find them.”

Two days later, on Monday, it occurred to someone in Slovakia that one of the explosive-packed bags had gone missing and the airport police contacted their counterparts in Dublin to ask for help.

Read more: http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/slovak-air-security-test-goes-very-wrong/

[Richardo]

1. How do you say "Where's the eighth one?" in Slovak?

Jesus.

[damntexdem]

4. Well, they DID answer their own question.

But what to expect where the authorities use real plastic explosive for such a test.

[ragemage]

7. this does not give me the warm and fuzzy about my Slovak heritage...

"Kde je jeden ôsmy" basically translates to "where is one of eight?"

[napi21]

2. Oh for god sake! What the hell did they do, randomly pick

a ciyoke if suitcases and not know any were leaving the country? How damn stupid!

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

3. Wow, even stupider than this Japanese airport security stunt!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7419969.stm

Especially dangerous in a part of the world where the death penalty for drug offences is commonplace,

[medeak]

9. that's hysterical!

please come forward if you find package of pot in your suitcase LOL

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

13. it wouldn't have been hysterical had the victim been on his way to Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand

"oh, I swear it isn't mine"

[Jamastiene]

5. "seemed like a good idea at the time"

aka A HUGE indication that something is most definitely a bad idea.

[izquierdista]

6. That does it

All Polack jokes will now refer to Slovaks instead. About time another group took up the slack.

[dipsydoodle]

8. BBC link elaborates a bit further

Irish police have released a man held over an explosives find, after Slovakian authorities admitted planting them in his luggage.

The explosive was one of eight pieces of contraband placed with unsuspecting passengers at Bratislava Airport last weekend, broadcaster RTE reported.

The 49-year-old unwittingly brought the material into Dublin when he returned from his Christmas holidays.

He was arrested on Tuesday morning but has since been released without charge.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8441891.stm

[struggle4progress]

10. Irish government furious after Slovakian agents plant explosives on passenger

Man arrested after 'bizarre' discovery in Dublin apartment

By Gary Fennelly
Tuesday, 5 January 2010

... A statement from the Republic's Department of Justice said that Slovakian authorities had tipped off airport police to the presence of the explosives.

"Following contact earlier today from the Slovakian authorities with the Airport Police at Dublin Airport, members of the Garda Síochána have recovered a small quantity of explosive material from the luggage of a passenger who had flown into Dublin from that country on Saturday last," the statement said.

"It has since been established that this material was concealed without his knowledge or consent in the passenger's luggage as part of an airport security exercise by the authorities in Slovakia.

"The Slovakian Minister for the Interior has conveyed to Justice Minister Dermot Ahern his Government's profound regret for this incident" ...

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/irish-government-furious-after-slovakian-agents-plant-explosives-on-passenger-14623606.html

[unkachuck]

11. another....

....giant leap forward for the war on terrorism....

[NBachers]

12. Whadyawannabet this poor guy ends up on the "No Fly" list?

Try using the truth to explain your way out of that with an airport security agent.