Man Arrested for Unwittingly Flying With Explosives

Slovakian passenger a victim of blundered security exercise
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 6, 2010 9:32 AM CST
Man Arrested for Unwittingly Flying With Explosives
A plane at Bratislava airport.   (Wikimedia Commons)

Irish police released a Slovakian electrician last night, after his country convinced them that he really had been unaware that he was carrying 3 oz of plastic explosives in his luggage. The unnamed man was the victim of a weird security exercise gone wrong, the Times explains. Slovakian authorities recently stowed eight pieces of contraband in the luggage of innocent airline passengers, to test the security at Bratislava airport.

Security caught seven of the passengers, but missed the eighth, who flew to Ireland unwittingly carrying enough explosives to blow up his plane. It was three days before Bratislava officials contacted the Irish police, who instantly raided the man’s flat and arrested him on terrorism charges. Slovakian authorities had to step in and convince them that the electrician was innocent. (More Slovakia stories.)

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