The "random" security checks, though inconvenient and bothersome to some, are extremely helpful and important to the safety of everyone.

Several days ago a gentleman was boarding a flight from DTW to STL. He had a small carryon bag which he brought through security and also a checked bag.

He was "randomly" selected and sent to the screening table. He was quite beligerent about being targeted because of his ethnicity. All I can say is that he appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent.

At first he refused to open his bag but as he stood there he realized he had to cooperate.

In his bag were two glasses, two rags, a bottle of lighter fluid and a lighter! The security people confiscated the lighter fluid and the lighter and only after he boarded did they mention what he had in his bag.

Immediately the red flags went up. We went down to ask him to come off the plane and talk to the FBI but he wasn't sitting in his assigned seat. We saw him in a seat further back and asked him to come with us. He said we had the wrong person. Again we asked him to come off the plane. He said no. I explained that he should come off the plane immediately with his carryon bag or he would be escorted off by the authorities. He then said he had no carry-on!

After going round and round for about 5 minutes he reluctantly stood up and took his carry-on out of the bin.

His checked piece of luggage was removed from the plane and he was escorted away by the FBI.

Now, had he not been "randomly" selected by the computer, he would have gotten on the plane and who knows what could have happened! His behavior was quite out of the ordinary, seeing as he changed seats when he got on, said he didn't have any carry-on luggage, etc.

To make a short story long, the random security checks are sometimes bothersome, but they are quite helpful and important.

P.S. I'd like to know why the T.S.A. screeners did not catch the lighter and can of lighter fluid at the X-ray machine!