[Forwarded from the MacDude list, where we're all very happy for another reminder that bagpipes are respected as military weapons and not just as musical instruments.... ]
http://www.pressherald.com/news/local/040114jetport.shtml An electronic bagpipe packed in a length of PVC pipe looked so much like a bomb on an X-ray machine screening baggage that officials evacuated Portland International Jetport for more than an hour Tuesday morning. The airport was shut down at 6 a.m. after one of the Transportation Security Administration passenger screeners spotted a suspicious item in the carry-on luggage of a middle-aged local businessman. The Maine State Police bomb squad was called in, and the man was interviewed by the FBI and by Portland and state police before the airport reopened at 7:45 a.m. More than 300 passengers on eight flights were delayed, but transportation officials characterized the response as appropriate. "Everything was by the book," said Portland Transportation Director Jeff Monroe. Security officials say they believe the Portland man couldn't have known how the instrument would look when X-rayed. "He didn't do anything wrong technically," said Robert Dyer, TSA's security chief for the jetport. "We've never seen one before." The man flies frequently and has not been identified as a security risk, Dyer said. He would not release the man's name. This is the first time the airport has been evacuated since a series of bomb threats four years ago, before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that led to more aggressive passenger screening. Two of the 9/11 hijackers left from the Portland jetport the morning of the attacks. The temporary closing of the jetport comes just six days after a threat was made over a marine radio to the Casco Bay Bridge. That threat shut down the bridge for several hours while it was searched. When officials shut down the jetport, planes that were parked alongside the terminal to take on passengers were moved. Incoming planes were allowed to land, but remained on the tarmac. A Philadelphia flight that had been boarding was pulled away from the terminal; it eventually left without returning to the gate area, leaving six passengers behind. The incident delayed six flights and canceled a flight bound for Albany, N.Y. The electronic bagpipe chanter consists of a cylinder with a thin metal mouthpiece at one end and a battery compartment at the other with wires connecting the components. Bagpipers often use the electronic chanter to practice because it is much smaller than traditional bagpipes. In this case, the instrument's components were packed in a protective case that consisted of white PVC pipe and caps on both ends. "That is a common way to carry a practice chanter around. That's how I keep my chanters when I'm not using them," said Susan Mack, a bagpipe instructor from Pownal. An electronic bagpipe makes sense for travelers, she said, because you can wear headphones to play it without disturbing anyone. But to a wary passenger screener, the pipe looked every bit a pipe bomb and had the things screeners watch for � something resembling a blasting cap, a container of explosive, and a timer or battery to initiate the explosion. "The combination of all those wires made it look like a pipe bomb," said Portland Police Lt. Nelson Bartley. "Obviously it's good that it turned out to be something that was harmless, but we didn't know that." The screener who spotted the suspicious item at first thought it was a computer-generated image that the TSA uses as part of its ongoing testing regimen, Dyer said. The screener, whom he would not identify, pushed an alert button after determining the blue and green shapes on the X-ray screen were in a piece of luggage. That triggered a series of responses that included the Portland police converging on the gate area and removing the passenger to a secure location to be interviewed. Authorities did not rely on the man's description of the contents of his bag to cancel the alert. "Because of how it appeared on the X-ray machine, it didn't match up with what he was saying," Dyer said. Police cleared the gate area and evacuated the jetport, putting many people onto Metro buses, which were used to help keep the displaced workers and passengers warm. In all, about 400 passengers and workers were removed from the jetport. Eventually, members of the Maine bomb squad, in consultation with federal explosive disposal experts, determined the device did not pose a threat and the man was allowed to reclaim it. Flights began reboarding at 7:45 a.m. Despite the ordeal, people were good-natured and understanding, Dyer said. "We didn't have one complaint from a passenger," he said. Monroe said the incident serves as a reminder for passengers to consider what they are packing in carry-on luggage. He urged passengers to notify screeners if they are carrying items that might be considered suspicious before they subject them to the X-ray machine. The owner of the electronic bagpipe chose not to bring the instrument with him when he finally made his flight. He left it in the trunk of his car, Dyer said. Staff Writer David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/macdude/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
