Posted on 10/06/2013 10:45:58 AM PDT by nickcarraway
The unidentified 9-year-old was able to get past airport security and screening agents before touching down in Nevada. His presence aroused flight attendants' suspicions and they alerted authorities, who took him into custody upon landing.
A 9-year-old boy snuck past airport security and boarded a flight from Minneapolis to Las Vegas without appearing to have ever held or shown a boarding pass according to an airport official.
Despite several layers of security and fear of global threats to the nation's airports, the unaccompanied child "went through the entire security screening process" Thursday without a hitch, according to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport spokesman Patrick Hogan.
It was only until Delta flight 1651 was making its land that flight attendants allegedly grew suspicious of the child and alerted authorities on the ground. Officers with the Las Vegas Police Department greeted the boy and placed him in custody with child protective services according to Hogan.
Additional details about the boy and the security lapse were referred to the TSA, who declined questions Sunday, but said they are currently investigating the incident.
According to surveillance video, at 10:37 a.m., the boy arrived to the airport solo on a southbound light-rail car.
He was screened at Terminal 1 and granted access to its nine airlines despite appearing to have never produced a required ticket. Identification for child passengers is not a requirement, according to Hogan.
At one point he's believed to have lumped himself in with another family traveling. Outside of this, strenuous effort by the child to mask his passage wasn't obviously seen on the video surveillance, according to Hogan.
Police say it's not immediately clear where the boy is from though it's suggested he may have been a runaway from the Twin Cities area who used a light-rail car, pictured, to get from the city to the airport.
Police say it's not immediately clear where the boy is from though it's suggested he may have been a runaway from the Twin Cities area who used a light-rail car, pictured, to get from the city to the airport.
Minneapolis police tell the Daily News the residency of the child is not yet confirmed while KARE reports that the boy is believed to have been a runaway from the Twin Cities area.
The public transit system used by the boy has stops ranging from downtown Minneapolis to the north and Mall of America to the south.
But as security footage shows the boy's solo venture to the airport may not have been his first.
"He appears to have been at the airport the day before as well," said Hogan.
That Wednesday afternoon security footage shows the boy dining at an airport restaurant in a pre-screening area while carrying an item of luggage that didn't belong to him.
The child allegedly stole a piece of luggage off a carousel, carried it to the restaurant where he ordered lunch, and asked his server to watch his suitcase while he used the restroom, KARE reports.
The request by the server was granted, but instead of the boy returning to collect the suitcase and pay his bill, he disappeared.
A request for comment from the Las Vegas Police Department was not immediately returned.
The whole world can’t be boy scouts and Cousin Sid. One can appreciate incipient genius without endorsing being naughty, though most genius does have an element of naughtiness to it.
“Not being told the nationality or race of this child, could he have been practicing innocently leaving a bomb in a suitcase in the airport.”
Yes, this is probably another dry run. No, I’m not being sarcastic. You’d really think you’d need a ticket to get on an airplane.
I was being sarcastic with the comment about his being a runaway from the Twin Cities area. The idiot who wrote the piece described him as such in 3 consecutive sentences because she is either too dumb or too lazy to check her own work.
One can appreciate incipient genius without endorsing being naughty....
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We can agree there. I admit the kid is very clever, but I stop short of admiring the behavior.
Ok, I got it now. I’m a little slow today. Worse than usual. I should have got the sarcasm.
So many “journalists” write this way today. Cut and Paste and all they do is top-off their first piece.
If I had written that way in High School, I would have been fried.
So many “journalists” write this way today.
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Very true.
And the terrorists will learn from this that they merely have to use a little kid like this to bring a bomb aboard a plane.
So what? 9 yo is old enough to know the difference between right and wrong.
You are teaching your children to steal people's luggage, steal meals and stiff hard working low income waitstaff, and steal rides on airlines? I am sure his parents have the honor of paying their precious snowflake's return ticket.
I think they already have that figured out. We’ve all seen the photos of the little kids with bomb belts strapped on by their mothers. And they’ve used little kids for a number of bombings in Israel.
That’s it...Good thinken Mr. Vomit...
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