Explosive Luggage Story Changed!

I'm sure you all have heard of the security issues today with the airline industry. I was reading up on this on Yahoo news earlier and read that...

"A college student's checked luggage on a Continental Airlines flight from Argentina contained traces of dynamite"

Apparently it was tagged by dogs trained to detect explosives. He claimed he worked for a mining company and said he often had residue of explosives on his clothes.

Houston Fire Department Assistant Chief Omero Longoria said the man told fire officials that he works in mining and often handles explosives, so that would explain the residue. He said federal officials were investigating whether the man's explanation was true, and the fire department's role in the probe ended upon determining the man's bag did not contain a bomb.

However just a few hours after I read this article on Yahoo, it was titled "Stick of Dynamite Found in Checked Luggage." So I clicked on it. It was nearly a carbon copy of the previous Yahoo News story- EXCEPT this time the 'traces' of explosives, turned out to be a stick of dynamite.

A stick of dynamite was found in a college student's checked luggage on a Continental Airlines flight from Argentina, one of seven security incidents Friday that caused U.S. flights to be diverted, evacuated, searched or delayed.

WAIT- This can't be the same instance from the article before? Lets see...

(From the first article)

A college student's checked luggage on a Continental Airlines flight from Argentina contained traces of dynamite , authorities said..... .....federal authorities are investigating why the student, who got off the Continental plane in Houston before it continued to Newark, N.J. , had the explosive residue and what he intended to do with it, FBI spokeswoman Shauna Dunlap said..... .....The dynamite residue was found during a luggage search in a federal inspection station at Bush Intercontinental Airport shortly after Flight 52 landed at about 6 a.m. Marlene McClinton, spokeswoman for the Houston Airport System, said a bomb-sniffing dog "had a hit" on explosive residue during a further search..... ......Houston Fire Department Assistant Chief Omero Longoria said the man told fire officials that he works in mining and often handles explosives , so that would explain the residue.

(from the second article)

A stick of dynamite was found in a college student's checked luggage on a Continental Airlines flight from Argentina , one of seven security incidents Friday that caused U.S. flights to be diverted, evacuated, searched or delayed.... .... Houston Fire Department Assistant Chief Omero Longoria said Fish told authorities he works in mining and often handles explosives . Longoria said federal officials were investigating whether the explanation was true..... ....The dynamite was found during a luggage search in a federal inspection station at Bush Intercontinental Airport shortly after Flight 52 landed at about 6 a.m.

Yep, its the same instance! Remember the Houston fire department said initially that they determined the man's bag did not contain a bomb.

Why did the story change? Did the media grab the real story before it was intercepted and modified to make the threat of terrorism more real? Or is the media just manipulating the story to make it more interesting? You decide.

First article -

news.yahoo.com... ms_4

Second article -

news.yahoo.com...

Read them in order, they are nearly identical except for the second one states that he had a stick of dynamite in his luggage.


[edit on 25-8-2006 by sillinous1]

Because news reports change as the investigation brings new information. The story that states there WAS dynamite found is more than 7 hours later than the first. A lot can be found, substantiated, and released as ongoing investigation news in that much time.

Misfit

Maybe the story was reported before all the information was collected. It happens sometimes. It definitely happened a LOT on 9/11. It's probably just something that looks suspicious that's really nothing.

Originally posted by RockerDom
Maybe the story was reported before all the information was collected. It happens sometimes. It definitely happened a LOT on 9/11. It's probably just something that looks suspicious that's really nothing.

Possibly. But there is a BIG difference here. They quote the Houston FD as saying the bag did not contain explosives. Then they said later, that he was in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and that he had a stick of dynamite in his luggage.

Houston Fire Department vs. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement? This is two very different statements- not just simply "not enough information"


[edit on 25-8-2006 by sillinous1]