Israel Matzav

Great security at JFK: Suitcase of weapons shipped to Cairo

I hear they have really great security at JFK Airport these days. Full body scanners take pictures of every detail of lucky passengers. Unfortunately, no one is doing the grunt work. A suitcase full of weapons arrived in Cairo on Wednesday on a flight coming from JFK.

Airport officials in Cairo say police have detained an American-Egyptian man who arrived on a flight from New York with several weapons in his luggage.

The officials say the man was taken into custody as he tried to pass through customs with a metal box containing two 9 mm handguns, 250 bullets, several swords, daggers and knives.

They say customs officials had been alerted after the weapons were discovered when the box was examined upon arrival Wednesday on an Egypt Air flight from New York's JFK International Airport in Cairo.

A police official confirmed the man was under investigation by prosecutors.

Let me guess: He does magic shows....

UPDATE 1:21 AM

Here's a later version of the story with some more details (Hat Tip: Atlas Shrugs).

Egyptian authorities detained a passenger arriving from New York's JFK airport Wednesday with handguns, ammunition and knives in his bag, but US officials said there had been no security lapse.

Mohamed Ibrahim Marei, a US university professor of Egyptian origin, arrived on EgyptAir flight 986 from John F. Kennedy Airport.

Customs officials in Cairo checked his luggage because he looked nervous, and found two handguns and 250 rounds of ammunition hidden in metal boxes, an Egyptian official said on condition of anonymity.

In a secret compartment in the bag, authorities also found two swords, five daggers and six knives, the official added.

An investigation has been launched, the official said.

The US Transport Security Administration, which is in charge of baggage security, confirmed that two undeclared firearms were found in the man's luggage, but said there had been no security glitch at JFK.

Packing weapons in checked baggage is legal in the United States. When a passenger is flying internationally it is the responsibility of the passenger and the airline to clarify rules at the destination for the goods, according to US law.

"Transporting firearms within the US in checked baggage is permitted if properly declared to the airline," the TSA said in a statement.

"Many other countries have different laws that address transportation and possession of firearms. We recommend passengers traveling internationally check with the authorities at their destination about their requirements."

Isn't that just peachy?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:30 AM