Originally Posted by
medic51vrf
Since they, as you said, have no idea of the persons intent (good, bad or indifferent) they would be duty bound to advise a properly trained LEO and it would then be up to them to investigate the situation and take whatever action/nonaction within the law that they saw fit.
But exactly what action would that be? The original poster is either a terrorist threat or he is not. Merely confiscating his papers does not change that status.
The reality is that individual screeners are not LEOs, yet have the authority to determine that
any item a passenger is carrying poses a threat and can therefore demand that any such item be "voluntarily" surrendered, with the threat of "do you want to fly today?" floating just over that voluntarily surrender.