US soldier caught boarding flight with explosive

Originally posted by Khaaaaaan!!


Soldiers shouldn't be exposed to TSA anyway.

But 3 year old girls should be?...In what world is your statement logical?

Originally posted by hyperion.martin
But 3 year old girls should be?..

Yeah baby buggies and wheel chair bombers... gotta make sure

Couple in wheelchairs 'search raped' by TSA
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Did this soldier come in on military transport from the front first? If so he probly forgot he tucked that in his bag I am sure military flights don't have TSA issues

Does this make anyone else think of the 2nd mission in Modern Warfare 2? You know, the one where Gen. Sheperd ropes the low level Army soldier into a black ops false flag mission...?

Originally posted by megawattboss
If someone with a browner skin-tone and a more "foreign" sounding name had done this I'm pretty sure there would be a lot less people excusing it.

Sorry to double post, but I just had to say: Real talk, true story.

Second line.

Ontopic: The Professional needs to stand down and simply state he doesnt know what his intentions were and he doesnt claim to know nor will he infer that the young soldier intended to blow up the plane.

Why wouldnt he put the "detonator" near or around his C4 for easy access? He would first have to find away to hide it or hire and accomplice to bring one on and its very implausible especially with no other POI's or evidence.

Originally posted by THE_PROFESSIONAL

Fact remains that a potential terrorist was just taken off a flight.

www.msnbc.msn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

If he was indeed a terrorist, then a very important new fact would have to be considered. That would mean there are terrorists within the U.S. Military. I'm pretty sure this probably wasn't the case here, but it's a pretty scary thought, regardless. Just imagine the possibilities...

Cheers,
Strype

19 year old Private. He is no terrorist. He was stealing some C-4 for his own amusement.

Well this sure is interesting. Most every time ANY ONE is caught trying to transport, carry , or conceal an explosive while traveling via air craft, people are up in arms, wanting the guys head. Interesting that this US soldier seems to be getting more public support here on ATS than ANY other person to have been caught with detonatable substances on a mass passenger craft.

What those who are not in the camp of throwing the book at him must realise, is that there are so many damned possibilities that might have been the cause of him taking this explosive from his base, and attempting to carry it on board a passenger aircraft, and only very few of those possible reasons are even REMOTELY innocent in thier intent. I have seen folks refering to the possibility that he wanted to use these explosive materials to blow up a pumpkin.
However , as a man of military occupation, the gentleman must surely know that there are better, safer ways of blowing up pretty much ANYTHING than using stolen C4 to do the job. The seperate components of an explosive device can be purchased and assembled by anyone who wants to do it without too much difficulty . Could have done it with a box of M80 firecrackers and been well within the law as well.

He may also have intended to sell the explosive. It may have been stolen to order , or he may have had a nefarious or murderous purpose of his own , the end result of which may have involved this explosive component. The fact of the matter is this:

Although I would agree that it must be pretty galling having some minor functionary of the TSA pat you down, if you have been fighting for your nation, and although I would agree that the TSA should not be involved to heavily with forces personel, I DO believe that the very fact that this fellow could get off a base with even a small amount of C4 is an abomination. The base security that man the gates of such installations should be the ones searching people, all people. They should have access to all the tech required to sniff out bombs,guns, and thier respective component parts, being smuggled off base, so that the TSA doesnt NEED to search such persons.

There will never be any remotely mitigating excuse for removing an explosive product from a military base for any reason, without the permission to do so being given , and unless that use of explosives includes thier safe carriage, and responsible use, for the public good. He has stolen government property (read the property of the American people) and attempted to transport it without taking into account any of the guidelines of proper storage in transit for such material by having it in his luggage.

All this suggests to me that as sweet natured some of the comments on here have been , that this fellows intentions in taking it were questionable, his foolishness for going ahead and doing so without equal, and that the book should not merely be thrown at him, but that he ought to be struck about the head with it till he learns something about what you do and do not do with public property , and with highly dangerous explosives.

The mans a disgrace to his unit , and the military establishment of which he is a part, as are the jackass guards at the base that he must have swanned past to get the explosives out. Everyone involved needs a swift kicking, and some broken kneecaps for this. What a total shambles!

Originally posted by mthgs602

Originally posted by TDawgRex
reply to post by Khaaaaaan!!

 

I've used C-4 to brew coffee. Pretty stable stuff as long as you don't add compression while it is burning. If you do.....KA- BLOOOOIE!

OH yeah? Just got a small stockpile sittin around? Ready for use at all times? Every now and then i make a c4 cake. Its like an explosion of flavor in your mouth. HA HA!!

Anyways, my point is dont lie. C4 takes a specific electrical charge to set off and your statement on compressions to c4 are innacurate.

Who's the liar?

Have you ever heard of Det Cord? Or maybe timed fuses, which use a non electrical ignitor? Your statement tells me that you have never worked with C4 before on the ground level. I have handled C-4 and other types of explosives for over 30 years within the Army. I do know it takes to detonate it. I am talking about a block of C-4, not the explosive warhead found in a Sea Sparrow.

Yea, lighting it on fire and hitting it with a hammer probably won't detonate it, but I've never known any one who was willing to try it either.

Originally posted by TDawgRex
Yea, lighting it on fire and hitting it with a hammer probably won't detonate it, but I've never known any one who was willing to try it either.

I was always told if you use it to heat your rations, don't stomp on it to put the fire out.

aye aye, who's safe was he planning on cracking? lol

Originally posted by zorgon
He should have sent it via UPS they have a hazmat/explosives division

Miss the good old days... when ya could go to the hardware store and buy some dynamite to go blow up some rocks

Ain't that the truth. They even messed up ammonia nitrate. Here in Texas, they want you to have a license that cost $75-$100 depending on what you want to do and they want to know everything about you. To top it off you can't just put it in the shed because that is an inadequate storage magazine. They state an application for a license will be denied if upon an investigation it is found that storage facilities are inadequate.

Originally posted by NightGypsy
What makes you think he was a potential terrorist?

Given the nature of the explosives and his statement, it sounds to me like he could have just as easily been guilty of stupidity and poor judgment, rather than having any sinister motive.

More than likely, possibly sell it in the Black Market???? Possibly undercover pawn to catch the leader or possible terrorists within the US? and this soldier was only part of the undercover trail??? who knows. Or maybe needed some cash badly given the state of our economy since soldiers do not get paid that well. But for a change, its good to see that the Security/TSA doing their job.

Originally posted by edog11

I am 99.9% sure that this is nothing more than a kid wanting to impress his friends by lighting up some C4.

Would you be that sure if he was identified as United States Army Private First Class Muhammad Allah Akbar?

reply to post by ateuprto


I just wanted to publicly thank you for your service brother. [atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c5309e3258d5.gif[/atsimg]
10 years in the sandbox, phhheew. Nuff said.

On topic: C4 is NOT a bomb. Without a detonator, you couldn't blow your nose. This aspect of the topic may have been covered, IDK, but it bears mentioning.

Originally posted by Byeluvolk
reply to post by mthgs602

 

This is a common misconception. It does indeed need a “primer” this means it will not detonate without the aid of another detonation to set it off. Just running wires into it and plugging in a battery will not do it. The “wires” you mention come from the fact that one of the most common detonators used with C-4 are electrical “caps”. The detonator in this case is a small metal tube filled with explosives and is placed in the wad of C-4. The wires you see are connected to this blasting cap, and it does indeed explode with the application of electricity, even just a 9V battery. This blasting cap then detonates, and thus the resulting explosion sets off the C-4. However the C-4 can’t be detonated by electrical current alone.



****EDIT

Sorry, you may not have been the one talking about wires. If so please do not infer that I am saying you were. The idea of wires was brought up earlier, and I do not recall who it was. I just mentioned it in this post as they were the same idea. I know I used “You” in my reply. I am sorry for the confusion if it was not you talking about wires before.

edit on 15-7-2011 by Byeluvolk because: (no reason given)

You're straight man. No i didnt mention wiring, but had I and i war wrong, i would have rather you informed me of of the correct nature anyways.

Oh and i know that more than just an electrical current is required. Just one of the steps.

Originally posted by OldCorp

On topic: C4 is NOT a bomb. Without a detonator, you couldn't blow your nose. This aspect of the topic may have been covered, IDK, but it bears mentioning.

A co-conspirator could have carried a detonator on board.

reply to post by IPILYA


Well thank you.

I try my best to be sensitive to the feelings of other people, and respectful of their positions. Sometimes we agree, and sometimes we don't; but that is no reason to dislike someone. One of my best friends on another site, someone I have known for over 5 years, is a RAGING Atheist and absolutely hates my position on Israel; I think he was the first person to ever call me a "Zionist shill" online. He just loves to tick me off with "motivational" posters about Jesus being a Jewish zombie carpenter and the like. He's coming to visit next month and we're going fishing. Oh the conversations we'll have!

BTW, IDK if anyone has mentioned it, but C4 can NOT explode without a detonator.

Or he's just another victim of "The Machine" that has been tampered with, mentally. Its another example of the underwear bomber perhaps? Maybe the military is testing the TSA, who knows what the true motives are. Maybe the soldier didn't even remember having it on him? In... The Twilight Zone

I got all of 4 pages into this thread and with post after post from THE_PROFESSIONAL, I just had to respond...

THE_PROFESSIONAL

Fact remains that a potential terrorist was just taken off a flight.

Of course it is terrorist related. He brought a bomb onto the airplane.

He brought explosives on the plane. He brought a bomb on a plane. Plain and simple.

Does not matter if he had the detonator or not. Maybe he was too dumb to figure that out, or maybe he had it hidden elsewhere.

We don't know his means or methods to detonate or if he had accomplices on the plane.

Not to mention if he had an accomplice on the plane who brought in the detonation materials separately.

but we do not know how he was planning on detonating, maybe he hid it really well or had a sleeper agent on the plane or planned on using electrical equipment etc..we do not know.

you seem to have no problem stating FACTS that we DO NOT know as being the truth

you ASSUME that he was intent on blowing up the plane
you ASSUME that he might have hidden a detonator or had an accomplice
you ASSUME this was more than a kid that found a new toy and was bringing it home to show his friends...

until actual EVIDENCE is presented that shows this was more than a kid that didn't think he would get caught, then this is far from a stopped act of terrorism

where is the detonator? who was his accomplice?

until you can show evidence that will prove he had intent of blowing up this plane, you have nothing but ASSUMPTION and you have been repeatedly called out on this yet you clearly turn a blind eye and continue to ask questions that only you are assuming are factual