[goodnesswins]

"found a cell phone taped to a Pepto-Bismol bottle, three cell phones taped together, several watches taped together, a box cutter and three large knives. Officials said there was no indication of explosives and he and his luggage were cleared for the flight from Birmingham to Chicago O'Hare."

EVERYONE occasionally tapes their cell phones together...or to a Pepto Bismol bottle....RIGHT???? (SOMEONE should be fired over this....and this guy should NEVER have been allowed on the plane. I am so glad we do not HAVE to fly anywhere....just got back from a Mandatory flight (medical reasons) and if I had heard/read this BEFORE I left....I don't know....I would have had a HARD time flying.

[txlurker]

Once in Chicago, officials say they learned al Soofi checked his luggage on a flight to Washington's Dulles airport for connections on flights to Dubai and then Yemen, even though he did not board the flight himself.

Instead, officials say, al Soofi was joined by the second man, Al Murisi, and boarded the United flight from Chicago to Amsterdam.

When Customs and Border officials learned al Soofi was not on the flight from Dulles to Dubai, the plane was ordered to return to the gate so his luggage could be removed. Officials said additional screening found no evidence of explosives.

Crazy!

[arthurus]

Maybe they wanted to see who was waiting for them in Schiphol.
As BluH2o wrote, ther was likely an air marshal sitting next to them. The weaponry and bomb parts (no explosives) were in the checked luggage so the gentlemen could not grab the box cutters on the plane and if there was anything actually dangerous to the flight it was surely removed in Alabama.

[relictele]

I thought box cutters were definite contraband.

I know of people who’ve had keepsake penknives confiscated because of the no-blades rule.

[PA-RIVER]

I have made permanent travel arrangements to avoid flying. I purchased a truck and travel trailer. I can travel anywhere in the USA, never get frisked in a security line, keep my shoes on, and park in a camp site for 20 bucks a night. I have all the amenities of a luxury hotel at a moments notice, and no muslims in the cab. I never wait in security lines. I have Internet service everywhere I go because I tether my PC to a smart phone.

I travel without Muslims, every time, guaranteed.

[VRWCmember]

"found a cell phone taped to a Pepto-Bismol bottle, three cell phones taped together, several watches taped together, a box cutter and three large knives.

This is very easy to explain. The guy is a cutlery salesman on his way to a home and garden show. Part of his sales pitch is to demonstrate how his Ginsu knife can cut through three cell phones taped together, cut the tape to separate your cell phone from your Pepto-Bismol bottle, and then still slice a tomato into paper-thin slices. Afterwards you can even use it as a watch repair tool. The box cutter was obviously just to cut the shrink-wrap plastic packaging of the knives. It was all just a big misunderstanding.