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Saturday, September 02, 2006
Report on 'bomber test run' inaccurate: mayor
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- Airplane passengers flying in and out of Davao City are still safe despite a newspaper report of an anti-terror expert being able to bring a bomb in and out of a commercial plane, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said.
The mayor said there were inaccuracies to the report on the incident published in a national daily.
"I'm not saying it's false. But it was not an accurate presentation of what really happened," Duterte said.
It was reported Friday that a man wearing a jacket and carrying a bag was able to sneak a bomb onto a flight from Manila to Davao City last month at the height of the nationwide security alert that followed Britain's uncovering of a plot to blow up transatlantic planes.
"The man pulled off the same stunt on the return flight to Manila. Had he detonated the bomb, he would have turned the commercial plane into a fireball and killed himself, the crew, and hundreds of other passengers," the report added.
The man was a civilian anti-terrorism expert tapped by a government official.
Asked if he was aware informed about the test run intended to determine how effective the security measures were in major airports in the country, Duterte refused to divulge anything for security reasons.
"We have an explanation to that but it has to be cleared by the highest authority," Duterte said.
The mayor, however, believes the details of the suicide bomber test run should have been made public.
In the newspaper report, it was said that the security and anti-terrorism expert, who asked not to be named because of his work, said he managed to bring the bomb and its components onto the plane on August 14 despite the additional security measures at the Manila domestic airport, like the banning of hand-carried fluids and gels.
The "suicide bomber" test run is also to be conducted in other airports in the country.
The expert entered the Manila airport like any ordinary passenger, went through the walk-in detector at the pre-departure gate, was frisked, and had his bag scanned by the x-ray machines.
He went through the same inspection at the boarding area.
To bring in the materials, the expert explained in the report, he attached a piece of C4, a plastic explosive, to the sole of his leather shoe. He also placed another C4 inside an electric adaptor.
The wires he placed in a "secret" pocket near his belt.
While at the scanning and X-ray area prior to boarding, he casually placed a cellular phone in the basket that security personnel checked manually. The cell phone could serve as a detonator.
When the "fasten seat belt" sign was turned off soon after takeoff, the expert got up, went to the lavatory and put together the bomb, before taking a video of this as proof that he was indeed able to bring in a bomb.
"The only missing act was the push on the button to blow up the aircraft," the report quoted the expert as saying. "In a real terrorist threat, the terrorist, usually a suicide bomber, will not hesitate and push the button to accomplish his or her mission." (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
(September 2, 2006 issue)
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3 kids die in fire; older sis, 7, lives