Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Although I had thought that none of the flights were headed for Boston (I admit to not following the exact details of the airline bomb plot), this entry at Northeast Intelligence Network says that a bottle made its way onto a Boston-bound flight that got into the air and had to be turned around: Liquid explosives carried in child's baby bottle
According to intelligence officials, the family checked in at the last minute, and as a result, only a superficial check of the children’s carry-on bags was conducted by airport security personnel.
Following the take off of the airliner, the check-in computer at the airport flashed a warning that a person under observation had boarded the flight. The airline staff informed immigration and security officials, and a background check found that the male adult member of the family was on a suspect list prepared by Scotland Yard subsequent to the 7/7 terror bombings in London. The pilot was ultimately alerted to the situation and after careful consideration, returned to Heathrow airport rather than continuing on to Boston.
Upon landing back at Heathrow, armed marshals boarded the aircraft and took the suspect and his family into custody. It was at that time a search of the children’s carry-on baggage revealed the deadly cargo.
[h/t: JoeN]
