2 TSA workers hospitalized after hazardous material found in passenger’s bag in Bakersfield, Calif.
Update: TSA says the owner of the bag involved is in the custody of the Sheriff’s department; no word on what the chemical is - NBC
Update: Official says hazardous material at Calif. airport found in sports drink bottle; no bomb or terrorism suspected - NBC Uh????
I’ve been busy most of the day and have not caught much news but I did hear the “all clear as it’s just sport drinks”. Now I read that two workers were hospitalized? That is some strong “sport drink” that we, the sheeple, don’t need to worry about.
Airport reopens after TNT forces evacuation, grounds flights
Jan 5, 2010 at 1:54 PM PST
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Meadows Field has reopened after the discovery of explosive substances in some checked baggage forced the airport's evacuation and the grounding of all flights. The airport reopened about 1:30 p.m., more than five hours after it was closed. Earlier in the day, passengers and employees were bussed over to the airport's international terminal, and incoming flights were being diverted to Los Angeles.
The Kern County Sheriff's Office said a swab of the substance, initially reported simply as hazardous material, came back positive for TNT and TATP. Sheriff Donny Youngblood said the explosive substances were found on the inside of the bag and on the outside of five Gatorade bottles filled with what appeared to be honey. The contents of the bottles had yet to be tested, Youngblood said.
The owner of the luggage was detained, though it was unknown if he would be arrested. Youngblood said that man, 31-year-old Francisco Ramirez, of Milwaukee, was heading home after visiting his sister in Kern County since Dec. 23. Ramirez is also an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, according to Youngblood.
The sheriff's office was unable to say how much TNT and TATP was found in the luggage, which was being removed from the airport. Crime lab technicians from Los Angeles were coming to Bakersfield to conduct further tests. Two workers with the Transportation Security Administration were reportedly sickened after being exposed to the substances. They were treated at an area hospital. TSA spokeswoman Suzanne Trevino told The Associated Press earlier in the day that officials didn't believe the incident was terrorism-related.