Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
It’s doubtful the Transportation Security Administration would agree.
In the three weeks since Nathaniel Heatwole’s now- infamous amateur tests of homeland security, a veritable deluge of similar incidents has come to light.
Just days after Heatwole’s arrest, a 43-year-old man was caught with what appeared to be a bomb in his checked suitcase as he was boarding an American Airlines flight, but was revealed to be an alarm clock bound to some PVC piping. CBS reports he was released on $500 bail, and charged with transporting a hoax device.
Two weeks later, a Chicago man was arrested for brandishing nun-chucks he smuggled onboard a Southwest Airlines flight in a violin case. He will be charged with “aggravated battery, resisting arrest, and boarding an aircraft with a weapon,” according to New York Daily News.
New York Daily News also reported that undercover agents were able to pass knives, a bomb, and a gun through security at Boston’s Logan Airport, undetected, while a passenger inadvertently brought home a clip of three-inch hunting bullets from Hawaii, also undetected.
In response to the latter incident, officials stated that “bullets without a gun can’t bring down a plane.” However, one must recall last year’s incident in which the 83-year-old former governor of Arizona was detained for carrying both a key-fob made of a dummy bullet and his Congressional Medal of Honor, which resembled a throwing star.
Additionally, a smattering of lower-profile incidents have raised additional questions about the current state of airline security.
An Exacto Knife was found underneath a seat onboard a Southwest Airlines plane, again in Logan airport, during a routine pre-boarding inspection. Ann Davis, a TSA spokesperson, said “There’s always a possibility that a maintenance worker may have left some tools on the plane. That’s happened in the past,” in a statement to Boston’s NewsCenter 5.
That same week, box cutters were found in a seatback magazine holder on a US Airways plane in Philadelphia. Passengers were evacuated 20 minutes before their scheduled departure.
The FBI plans to question Heatwole to learn how he managed to breach airport security, perhaps putting a stop to these “copycat” incidents. Currently though, many Guilford students reported no change in security since Heatwole’s arrest. Some told of “banned items” in their carry ons escaping the slightest notice of airport screeners.
Heatwole has waived his right to his Nov. 10 preliminary hearing. No other court dates have been scheduled, and Heatwole still has yet to be indicted. He was released without bail on Oct. 20 and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.