Disguised Asian stopped in Vancouver — best disguise ever

by Grant Martin on

Remember a few years back when you watched Mission Impossible III and Tom Cruise kept pulling off layer after layer of his secret masks to reveal a different identity? That stuff was all make believe, right? Right?

Well, that technology might be closer than we all thought. Canadian authorities are investigating a recent case where a young Hong Kong citizen boarded a flight bound for Vancouver disguised as an elderly Caucasian man. He made it through security with a fake passport and mask, boarded the aircraft and got away with the whole deception, until passengers and staff got wise onboard.

Apparently, the passenger (whose motives are still unclear) visited the lav during the flight and magically transformed from an elderly white man with “very young hands” to an early-twenties Asian — at which point passengers got suspicious. Upon arrival in British Columbia he was detained by the Canadian authorities.

The fact that he got away with the entire charade is in and of itself remarkable, especially considering the advanced screening technology that airport security now employs. But looking at his photo as profiled by CNN, could you tell the difference?

Here’s a tip for next time though, would be counterfeiter: change your shirt.
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Box cutter blades found on Delta flight from Tokyo to Oregon

by Tom Johansmeyer on

A plane was searched top to bottom upon landing in Oregon after the crew found box cutter blades on it. Delta, recently named the worst airline in the United States, engaged the help of FBI, TSA and Customs and Border Protection officials when Flight 90 arrived from Tokyo, with 155 passengers and a crew of 10.

According to MSNBC:

The flight crew “opted to contact authorities and request they meet the aircraft upon arrival as a result of some box cutter blades found onboard while the aircraft was enroute,” according to Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliott.

The report adds that it wasn’t yet known how the box cutter blades wound up on the plane.

[photo by PatCastaldo via Flickr]

Planes in Philadelphia and Newark being swept for suspicious materials

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Suspicious items have been found on cargo flights that landed in Newark, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania today. According to the Transportation Security Administration, the planes have been “moved to a remote location … out of an abundance of caution,” according to CNN.

The fire department’s hazardous materials units in Philadelphia responded to situations with two planes – one a UPS flight, the other a 757 with nobody on it. Officials say that the types of material that could be involved aren’t known.

My Fox New York adds:

Homeland Security officials said one of the crew on the cargo plane from Paris, France, landing at Philadelphia around 9 a.m. called authorities thinking a package aboard the plane could have a radioactive makeup, according to MyFoxPhilly.com.

According to My Fox New York, “There are unconfirmed reports that the Newark plane had arrived from Yemen.” Also, a plane bound from Chicago from Yemen was stopped in London when a bomb made from an ink toner cartridge was found.

In a statement, UPS said it’s cooperating with the investigation.

[photo credit: AP]

New TSA pat down runs up inner thigh, new thrill for travelers

by Tom Johansmeyer on

If you haven’t been on a date in a while, ask for a manual search. The Transportation Security Administration is going to start getting a bit cozier with passengers who opt for this check, giving stiff competition to the likes of Plenty of Fish.

According to an MSNBC report, the TSA is going to start using the fronts of their hands in their pat downs – and will include a new part of the body. Be ready to have a government official run his (or her) along the inside of your leg if you go decide to skip the body scanner.

For the first time, heightened security may actually be thrilling!


[photo by Shamanic Shift via Flickr]

TSA’s Secure Flight takes off, new identification rules come into effect

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Rules exist for a reason … and apparently enforcement isn’t one of them. In a move I can only describe as bizarre, the TSA has announced that, next month, it will start enforcing a rule about passenger identification. The rule, according to the TSA blog, “fulfills a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission by assuming responsibility of watch list matching from individual airlines.” The rule was brought to the table last year, but this critical function came with a one-year grace period.

I find this bizarre, because it’s tantamount to announcing that an important need has gone unaddressed for 12 months.

According to a report on USA Today, the rule calls for passengers to provide their personal identification data when booking their flights, and they have to show “a recognized government ID at the airport that matches the information.” You’ll have to provide “name, date of birth and gender as it appears on your government ID” when you book in order to get a boarding pass.

If you’ve already booked travel for after November 1, 2010 and haven’t provided all the data that will be required, you’ll probably want to contact the airline before you head out to the airport.

[photo by glenmcbethlaw via Flickr]