mit student arrested at gunpoint for 'fake' bomb at logan

i think we need a pic of the device to reference foe those that have not seen it.

it does not look like anything.
not art
not a board
no display of electrical skills....

maybe she had a breakdown...seems kinda strange for an mit student or any normal college kid to do this though

reply to post by Boondock78


CNN is adjusting their take on the story, I got it on and last broadcast they were not as hardcore on her intent. I will go look for image on web.

www.boingboing.net...
story here defends my comments that it was a misunderstanding.

Short version: it wasn't a "fake bomb" at all, it was a wearable tech LED jacket from a friendly young technologist who would have been *way* better off wearing something else to the airport today



green flower like structure made from LED lights.

[edit on 21-9-2007 by Redge777]

This kid was very, very lucky. I saw a video and it is really poor judgement on the part of the individual but at the same time I am glad to see the repsonse from the authorities.

This was an innocent what if scenario but at the same time it shows us that a terrorist could gain access to a crowded airline terminal with a 'suspicious' item on their person. I am just glad she was not hit with a tazer.

Is there a bigger picture of that?

For what I can see it looks like one of those little electrical boards that has rows of holes, you plug in electrical components to make a circuit. How anyone can mistake that for a 'bomb' is beyond me, it just goes to show how paranoid the government has made everyone.

So if a store owner accuses me of hiding things under my coat to steal stuff and then it turns out that i simply shoved something of my own in my pocket.. can they arrest me because of the appearance of a crime. no of course not......

why should someone without a known criminal record or tie to terrorists be arrested for not having a bomb... never said she had a bomb, made no threats and never actually tried to go through security.

I know that i would recognize a scrap circuit board... but thats just me

there are laws.. but then senators think everything through don't they?

oh i just realized, i should be arrested to... i don't have a bomb either.

[edit on 21-9-2007 by DIRTMASTER]

That's a good enough bomb attempt in my book to qualify for a bomb. It doesn't take much to actually make a real bomb. The hardest piece to get would be the explosives, the rest is just wires. Sometimes smart people are the stupidest people. This won't get her anything but kicked out of college and jail time.

Years ago I had a light up LED Christmas sweatshirt, but it didn't look like that, it was commercially made and didn't have batteries or wires hanging out of it.

How could someone smart enough to get into MIT be so dumb to wear something like that into an airport? I think this is more than just a misunderstanding.

I imagine that this person will be thoroughly investigated and if nothing untoward comes up, they'll probably drop the hoax device charge (the serious one), and perhaps all charges. Still a dumb thing to do, she could have gotten herself shot.

Personally, even though she is in MIT she seems to be exceedingly stupid. Who would create a fake bomb and wear it in an airport. She's lucky that she didn't get shot.

Originally posted by esdad71
www.msnbc.msn.com...

“She’s extremely lucky she followed the instructions or deadly force would have been used,” Pare told The Associated Press. “And she’s lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue.”

Anyone think that's maybe what she wanted? Lots of people commit suicide by cop. Well, at least a few a year.

Edit: Seems I'm late as usual.

[edit on 9/21/2007 by Griff]

Decline of a nation...

Originally posted by Boondock78

If that represents the scholarly efforts of a current MIT student, we might as well throw in the towel and relegate ourselves to Third World status... I would expect more from a 13 year old who has been riding a short bus to a "special" school... And this is someone on a scholarship to MIT.

She started the day wanting to go to career day with a flashing shirt. I feel sorry for her, that is the kind of absent mind screw up we all could make, she was meeting her boyfriend and going to a big career day.

But I understand the reaction, she also has a hawian complection and a bad hair dye job.

On a side note she looks much better as a brunett. but I would still do some sodering with her, get those lights a blinking.

Yeah career day...

If I was a recruiter for an electrical engineering company, I'd want to snap her up quick after looking at that quality of work.

This speaks directly to how bad things are in this country.

If this moron can get accepted to MIT, I'd say we're in for tough times when she and her peers become tomorrows decision makers.


[edit on 9/21/2007 by darkbluesky]

What Does A Bomb Look Like?

The problem with making assumptions about what bombs look like, both in this thread and in airports, is that they can look like almost anything.

A pair of shoes? A sports bottle? These have already been used to carry explosives onto planes.

I don't know all the details of this case, but I have a hard time believing anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past six years wouldn't at least consider that wearing a breadboard with a battery hanging off of it just might get some negative attention at an airport.

Then again, Einstein had trouble tying his own shoes, so what the heck.





[edit on 9/21/2007 by Majic]

I will be the bad guy...the cops should have taken her out with a head shot. If it's a homicide bomber then their goal is to kill as many people as possible. the only way to stop them is a head shot(you don't want to shot the bomb or only wound the person cause they could still set off the bomb)

BS!

You mean to tell me that if you saw someone walking around an airport with a device like the one she had, or this;



That you wouldn't be thinking BOMB???

She is lucky they didn't shoot her! If you rob a bank with a toy gun, you get charged with ARMED ROBBERY!

I concede that she probably wasn't trying to portray it as a bomb, but ignorance is no excuse. She's an MIT student for cryin out loud! She should know better than to stroll into an international airport with that thing strapped to her back! I also understand as has been previously stated, that real bombs could be concealed very professionally inside of a GAMEBOY, etc., but in the setting she was in, this just instills fear right off the bat.

If she is let go, and the charges dropped, then our laws should be changed to keep things like this from happening. What if YOUR innocent kid caught a bullet in an airport because of something like this? The airport, TSA, State Police, etc., would all be sued, and rightly so IMO!

Wouldn't she also be charged with invoulntary manslaughter, or some charge of death stemming from stupidity if something like that were to happen? No matter what the intent?

I can't believe this happened. I guess airport security is still a "target rich environment" with respect to security in this country. . .

2PacSade-

Hummm....



Thats sure pretty for a bomb, green flower leds, perfectly cased, haha with a battery hanging out.

I don't know, I think my first reaction after seeing that is to think of an art project. There are many artists who like to try new ways and create very extreme and weird art projects.

[edit on 21-9-2007 by balon0]

I am awfully glad that I read this whole thread before posting a reply. It was going to be a one liner, and I would have gladly taken the point loss just because some of the replies in here remind me of Judge Judy's statement...

"You can't fix stupid".

Apparently she wears it often.

www.instructables.com

Geek-Protection Stickers? Call for design suggestions!
So, Star's in jail in Boston for forgetting she was wearing some electronics.

I sent this to Xeni Jardin, and she added it to the BoingBoing story:

Star was an intern at Squid Labs this summer, and is an all-around awesome geek who loves to build things. FYI, friends at MIT say she wears the hoodie on a regular basis- it's just unfortunate that she had it on while trying to pick a friend up at the airport.
MIT students don't really do mornings, or worry about what they're wearing, so I can't imagine she'd even think about her clothes before heading out to pick up a friend at the airport before 8am.

When Star gets out we'll have her do an Instructable on 1) how to get arrested at the airport without being shot, and 2) how to package your homemade electronics to look purchased.

Maybe BB and Instructables should start handing out some official-looking stickers and plastic covers to make breadboards look more commercial- it will keep our readers away from automatic weapons.

I just got email back from Xeni saying, "Let's do those stickers!"

Question: what should the stickers look like? What should they say? Make some suggestions, or submit some designs here, and we'll print them up!

I stick by what I said, anyone who has been to high school (at least in the UK) would instantly recognize these little electronic boards.

What annoys me more is apparently (at least the last ive heard) she is still being charges with "possession of a hoax device" which is obviously wrong, if they are saying it wasn't a fake bomb why is she still being charged with a crime she didn't commit.