Just as the UK military and security services take over Heathrow Airport, there is this discovery at London’s second major airport. What is puzzling (and disturbing) is how this man managed to smuggle a live hand grenade from a flight from Venezuela?
Man held after airport grenade find
**A man is being questioned by anti-terrorism police after smuggling a live hand grenade into the UK through Gatwick Airport. The north terminal of the Sussex airport was shut down and evacuated for five hours after the grenade was discovered in the 37-year-old Venezuelan’s luggage on Thursday. The airport was reopened at 2000 GMT, amid questions over why the grenade had not been detected in the plane’s hold. The man arrived in Britain on British Airways flight 2048 from Caracas in Venezuela. **
Customs said he was stopped in the “nothing to declare” channel, after an official saw “something suspicious” in his bag. He was arrested under anti-terrorism laws and is being held at a central London police station, while the grenade has been sent for forensic examination. BA cancelled its scheduled flight to Caracas on Friday, while it investigated why the grenade had not been found during baggage screening. The arrest followed a security clampdown at London’s other major airport, Heathrow, which involved tanks and a military cordon. The Heathrow operation was sparked by MI5 intelligence that a group was plotting to shoot down an aircraft, the BBC’s Margaret Gilmore has learned. Two men were arrested under the Terrorism Act near the airport on Thursday, but police said they were held as a “precautionary measure”.
Maybe he wanted to remind the world that there are conflicts elsewhere in the world and people are still suffering without help.
"This threat is new; America's duty is familiar. Throughout the 20th century, small groups of men seized control of great nations, built armies and arsenals and set out to dominate the weak and intimidate the world. In each case, their ambitions of cruelty and murder had no limit. In each case, the ambitions of Hitlerism, militarism and **communism* were defeated by the will of free peoples, by the strength of great alliances, and by the might of the United States of America. Now, in this century, the ideology of power and domination has appeared again and seeks to gain the ultimate weapons of terror. Once again, this nation and all our friends are all that stand between a world at peace and a world of chaos and constant alarm. Once again, we are called to defend the safety of our people and the hopes of all mankind. And we accept this responsibility."* - President Bush in his State of the Union Address, 2003
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by spoon: *
Maybe he wanted to remind the world that there are conflicts elsewhere in the world and people are still suffering without help.
[/QUOTE]
Yes, there are so many conflicts in South America, across Africa and Asia that remain uncovered by the mainstream media, and thus which most people are probably not aware of.
Well that largely used to be the main goal of terrorism before it became militaristic combat.. to bring attention to one's cause. People seem to be ignoring you, blow something up, take hostages, whatever...