Men Carrying Plastic Bottles With Cellphones Attached, Cellphones And Watches Taped Together, Box Cutters And Large Knives Released For Lack Of Evidence
The story of the odyssey of these two men was originally reported in "TSA and USA: terrorist dry run on a flight out of Detroit a success (for the bad guys)."
Apparently these contents packed in bags being placed under a plane does not constitute a crime, nor does it constitute probable cause for refusing passage on an international flight.
According to Dutch authorities the two men were released for lack of evidence, with word from the prosecutors office that "there is no reason to hold the men any longer."
While all of this may be true according to the letter of the law, it is a clear indication that the bad guys are continuing to "test" our system, looking for vulnerabilities that will allow a dry run such as this to become a live operation designed to kill as many innocents as possible.
In a twist, United States officials do not believe that the two men, both of Yemeni descent, knew one another. This does not explain the luggage contents, nor the failing of the TSA when one of the suspects luggage continued alone on a flight to Dulles Airport while the owner flew on to Amsterdam.
Two Conflicting Opinions On The Case From CBCNews
The first sympathetic to the plight of the men says:
"So these 2 were innocent after all. It doesn't matter though. Their names and pictures have been broadcast for the world to see and their reputations more than ruined. Listen, it definitely is weird to have a cell phone taped to a Pepto bottle, but if we were to search EVERY SINGLE PASSENGER'S checked luggage, I'm sure we would find some weird and interesting stuff."
The second, slightly more pragmatic, says:
"Sure, these guys are innocent in the sense that none of the items on their own are harmful. Maybe it was just coincidence or whim that these guys decided to tape a cell phone to a pepto bismol bottle and a bunch of watches to a bunch of cell phones. Or maybe somewhere, people who don't care much for westerners have a better idea about what can and can't make it through airport security."
What do you think?
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