Bomb Scare at Manchester Airport

[Cleopatra]

Anybody know what was suspicious about the laptop bag carried by a man that caused terminal 1 at Mancheste airport to be evacuated?

I, and thousands of other people, have regularly travelled to and from Manchester airport carrying my laptop in its bag without incident, so, what was so special about this one, which incidently was declared safe?

[Bill]

May be it wasn’t the laptop itself but something that was said because they don’t take kindly to ank kind of jokes about bombs. I’ve never had a problem at Manchester but I was once made to remove the laptop from its case and power it up at Galway.

 

Bill

[Wireboy]

I flew from Terminal 1 in July for the first time in about 10 years and I could not believe how much the place had changed. Obviously security is now big there. I noticed what used to be the outside bit is now all inside Passport Control. The security checks were very stringent and I had to remove my boots as well as my children's.

 

Never had a laptop so don't know what has happened there but the security looked pretty good and it looks like they wouldn't miss anything. I don't doubt that in today’s age they would evacuate the terminal at the slightest suspicion.

 

It seems sad that post 9/11 the terminal has now been all but lost to security checks and passport control (understandable) but I was impressed with the setup once through.

[asperity]

I'm so fed up with the security checks at airports that I will avoid flying if at all possible. I left my last ship in Peel on the Isle of Man and opted for the ferry to Liverpool rather than go through the indignity of the airport security checks. :evil:

[Bazj]

Asp.... just say "I'm not a muslim so I can't be a terrorist".....

 

Mind you, the border donkeys stopped an old woman and roughed her up a while back.... all in the cause of equality!

 

Apparently they don't like to do profiling!!

[asperity]

You would probably be better off saying you were a Muslim, because they seem to be scared of being accused of targeting stereotypes and over compensate by targeting the obviously innocent. In Amsterdam Schipol airport I witnessed an elderly woman relieved of her plastic bottle of water at the security check, but allowed to keep her steel tipped umberella. Crazy! :angry:

[Dizzy]

Do they still use the full body scanners at Manchester and other airports?

 

I know there was a bit of an uproar last year as some muslim ladies would not go through them due to medical/religious reasons.

 

The way I see it is that the more security there is the better and if people don't like it then tough.. you can't fly.

 

I guess it doesn't stop people flying into the UK from elsewhere though from where there maybe be less strict controls .. so maybe only outbound flights are protected.

[Cleopatra]

I really do not think you would be any better off saying that you are a muslim, really I don't. AS A MUSLIM MYSELF I also suffer the same indignities that everybody else does. Maybe more so. I have to practically undress myself to go through security checks just the same as everyone else.

In Frankfurt airport I was pounced upon by a gestapo type when the alarm sounded as I passed through. I was physically searched in full view of everybody by this nazi type who barked out orders in broken english. When I did not respond instantly because I did not undertand what was said the order was repeated - I TOLD YOU TO TURN AROUND!!! I TOLD YOU TO LIFT YOUR FOOT!!! I SAID....!!!

I felt much indiginity when this individual grabbed the waistband of my jeans and in full view of everybody looked doen the front. I do not know how I restrained myself from giving it a hard slap across it's face but In a loud voice so people could hear I snapped at it. "YOU ARE GOING TO DAMNED FAR NOW!!!"

The search completed and nothing found I went to collect my things from a desk where they had beem removed to from the conveyor. Two more gestapo types who had been standing guard over them at the xray screen pointed to the picture of my holdall and demanded, "WHAT IS THIS!!!?They were ornaments wrapped in bubble wrap. I told them they were ornaments as I made an attempt to open the bag to show them. DO NOT TOUCH!!!" One of them barked and I was immediately marched to an office with my bag by the first individual. Who then ordered me to put the bag on the desk, addressing the man behind the desk in german. The man then opened the bag and began to test the contents for a chemical reaction. Result negative. The gestapo type told me, "Ok, you can go."

"I just hope that I have not missed my connection to Egypt because you!" I said

"I am Sorry." it replied with a smirk on it's face.

"Sorry doesn't cut it!!!" I told it.

[Cleopatra]

Dizzy, I can assure you that there is the same strict controls, arriving or departing, in all other countries just the same as in the uk, even when just going through transit, but maybe not all as undignified as in Frankfurt.

[asperity]

Dizzy, I'm afraid that you aren't grasping the total irrelevance of most of the security being imposed on travellers. It doesn't inconvenience anyone apart from the customer as the carrier just has to insist on you being at the airport at an unreasonably early time for your flight. The airport authorities love it because they have hordes of people on the premises they can pass on to their franchise holders to whom they can sell their overpriced food/drinks/"duty free" goods. Another unfortunate aspect is the attitude of many of the security operatives who see their role as being an opportunity to treat their fellow humans as lesser mortals. The level of security being levied at various airports varies enormously and doesn't seem to reflect any expected threat. I've been waved through without checks at Manchester in late evening because (I presume) it was the end of a long shift for the security people, but made to jump through the hoops in the Isle of Man at the start of the day because the staff (I presume) were fresh and keen to find a hijacker :roll: :roll:

[fugtifino]

...just say "I'm not a muslim so I can't be a terrorist".....

 

Thank heavens you don't work on Border Control, Baz.

 

The way I see it is that the more security there is the better and if people don't like it then tough.. you can't fly.

 

I can see what you mean, Diz, but if we all had to go through "THE PROBE ROOM"* before we get on a cheap flight to Malaga, then the terrrists have won.

 

_{*Anyone who's ever been in one will know what I mean.}

[Bazj]

Look..... I hold no beef against Muslims....my next door neighbours are Muslims; and very nice people they are too.

 

It is just the way I see it is that over the past 10-12 years, all bar none of the terrorist attacks on this country and in the USA (and in most other places around the globe too) have been carried out by people in the name of Allah....or at least that is what they say......

 

We had home grown, brainwashed Muslims blowing up buses and tubes in London and Muslims flying planes into buildings in the US.... we have Muslims suicide bombing hospitals and schools in Pakistan (and killing other Muslims too). Muslims have blown up hotels and attacked US warships in suicide speedboats

 

So Fug, if you were a border guard, would you let the Muslim looking chap or lady through and then stop and search the White, American old pensioners behind him?

 

It really is no different to when the IRA were blowing up buildings over here; everyone eyed anyone with an Irish accent with an air of caution... It isn't anything personal, just the way it is.

[Cleopatra]

Dizzy, female muslims will not go through the xray body check for religious reasons because they would reveal their bodies. Nobody is permitted to see a muslim female's naked body but her husband. Muslim females find those machines offensive to their religion and culture.

[Bazj]

Dizzy, female muslims will not go through the xray body check for religious reasons because they would reveal their bodies. Nobody is permitted to see a muslim female's naked body but her husband. Muslim females find those machines offensive to their religion and culture.

 

Cleo, just like Asp doesn't get on planes unless he has to (I do the same if I can too; I drove to Nice a few weeks ago whereas my wife and little lad flew down) If Muslim women feel that they cannot or will not comply with the various security requirements, then they should not fly.

 

If exceptions are made for Muslim women not to be subject to the same scrutiny as other passengers, you can be damned sure a terrorist will seek to exploit that loophole

[Sha]

Quote Dizzy "The way I see it is that the more security there is the better and if people don't like it then tough.. you can't fly."

 

I agree with Diz.

 

....... If Muslim women feel that they cannot or will not comply with the various security requirements, then they should not fly.

 

If exceptions are made for Muslim women not to be subject to the same scrutiny as other passengers, you can be damned sure a terrorist will seek to exploit that loophole

 

I agree with Baz (that makes a change doesn't it!)

[Cleopatra]

So you drove to Nice, very nice for you but just try driving further afield like Egypt, UAE, KSA, Doha or Kuwait A different kettle of fish!

If your circumstances were different, if you were arabic, muslim, It's a pound to a pinch of sh*t that you would be singing a different tune!

As for terrorists exploiting the loophole, I am presuming you mean by dressing in a burka. Believe me, it isn't difficult to spot a man in a burka! Just look at the feet for one clue. If you mean a female could be concealing a bomb or gun under her burka, forget it. The material burkas are made from is so fine that you couldn't conceal anything but the body underneath it!

[Evil Sid]

interesting thought but do they have similar security checks for cars going onto ferries or the eurostar?

[Dizzy]

Gosh Cleo you get about a bit.

 

I probably really shouldn't be joining in with this chat as I've not been on a plane for over 20 years so Asperity is probably right when he says that I'm probably "not really grasping the irrelevance..."

 

But I still think that if people will not go through security checks then they should not be allowed to fly, Simple as that.

 

Good point about checks on cars using ferries and the eurostar Evils. I wonder if they do have any propper security scheck although I doubt it would be possible to xray a car in the same way as suitcases and hand luggage

[Cleopatra]

I've never been to China. I want to go to China.

[Wireboy]

They should x-ray all the cars and lorries that come of boats like they do with people at the airport. That way you would catch all the illegal’s stowing away. You don't really get stow a ways on planes because they know they will be caught at a UK airport.