Los Angeles TSOs Find IED Components
News & Happenings
November 7, 2007
TSA Transportation security officers (TSOs) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) demonstrated that the TSA mission never stops, not even at 10:35 on a Saturday night. That was the case Nov. 2, when TSOs Michael Diaz, Marcella Gariday and Brenda Barahona identified an Improvised Explosives Device (IED) training kit during the X-ray scan and a subsequent secondary screening of a male passenger’s carry-on bag.
The find, made in the airport’s Tom Bradley International Terminal, consisted of two detonators encased in resin display cases.
“Our people here at LAX are top of the line and prove it time and time again,” said Federal Security Director Larry Fetters. “A find late at night shows us once again that we can never let our guard down, because you never know when the threat will arrive.”
After a positive alarm using the Explosives Trace Detection machine, security checkpoint supervisors summoned Los Angeles World Airports Police and a transportation security inspector. As it turned out, the male passenger works for a company responsible for providing explosives training for construction demolition. The IED training kit was determined to contain only inert components with no explosive capabilities and the passenger, after surrendering the items to TSA, was on his way to Brisbane, Australia.
