Feds: Marine had material for bomb
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| Mon, 04-20-2009 - 9:01am |
Why weren't these items found when he went through screening in Las Vegas? Why did he have them?
Arrested in Logan in firepower fracas
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1166767
A U.S. Marine was arrested yesterday morning at Logan International Airport for allegedly trying to slip a 9 mm gun, several hundred rounds of military ammunition and bomb-making materials onto a U.S. Airways flight, according to federal and state authorities.
Cpl. Justin W. Reed of Jacksonville, N.C., arrived on a flight from Las Vegas and was bound for Charlotte, N.C., on US Airways flight 877 yesterday morning, said Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Ann Davis.
Reed is scheduled to be arraigned in East Boston District Court tomorrow on charges of possession of an infernal machine and possession of a concealed weapon in a secure area of an airport, said state police Sgt. Michael Popovics. He was held yesterday on $50,000 bail.
Boston TSA workers turned up a 9 mm gun, “several hundred rounds†of military 7.62 mm ammunition, a hand grenade fuse assembly and detonator, three model-rocket engines containing an explosive mixture, numerous switches and military pull-type fuses in Reed’s bag, authorities said.
That the contraband was discovered in Boston was a fluke, Davis said. Bags are not typically screened during a layover. But airline workers mistakenly thought Logan Airport was his final destination - and placed one of his checked bags on the baggage carousel bound for baggage claim in Terminal B, Davis said.
Davis said the TSA was investigating why the items were not discovered during the bag’s initial screening in Las Vegas. Firearms are allowed in checked backage if they are declared, unloaded and secured in a locked box. These items were neither declared nor properly packaged, she said.
“We do discover firearms at checkpoints and in checked baggage more often than one would think in today’s security environment,†she said.
Authorities could not say whether Reed, who was not in uniform, was traveling alone and they did not know the nature of his trip. The Marine Corps could not be reached for comment.


If it weren't for the hand of fate...who knows what he was up to...