Mizter T

No they didn't.

They confiscated the item at security, not knowing what it was, and Nadeem Muhammed was questioned by counter-terrorism police at the airport, after which he was then let go - this was on 30 January. He returned to the airport the next day to collect his mobile phone that the police had taken - evidently they were happy to hand it back, rather than arrest him.

He then returned again to the airport on 5 February, without any sort of explosive device, passed through security and took a flight to Italy.

Suspicions about the item that had been confiscated on 30 January were only raised on 8 February by police forensics officers. This led to Muhammed's arrest in Italy on 9 February.


* Guardian article dated 8 August reporting on Muhammed's conviction - "Suicide attack likely motive for Manchester airport pipe bomb carrier"

* Earlier Guardian article dated 1 August reporting on the court case - "Airport security boss put seized pipe bomb in her pocket, court told"
(It was obviously 'pocket sized' and she didn't know what it was at the time)

* BBC News article dated 8 August - "Manchester Airport pipe bomb plot: Nadeem Muhammad guilty"

DYKWIA

You wouldn't have been on the M62 at 11:32...

M60 probably.

armouredant

I wasn't driving

IAN-UK

splitting hairs !

They screwed up royally, which is the broader point.


But sticking to gospel, note that in MIA whacky world of security, confiscated pipe bombs are handed back to carriers, confiscated shampoo bottles are not ....

KARFA

No. Establishing the facts rather than stating something that is not true.

MADPhil

Was this at the railway station?

Andy33

By all means criticise Manchester Airport. I'll applaud (unless you really meant Miami when you typed MIA by mistake for MAN). Goodness knows there's enough to find fault with.

But on this occasion the security staff successfully spotted a suspicious device. They gave it and the carrier to Greater Manchester Police. The police let the carrier go but retained some of his property, including the device. The day after that the police gave him his phone back, but kept the suspicious device. It took them a week to discover that the device was a viable pipe bomb, and then the Italian police had to pull their chestnuts out of the fire by finding and arresting the carrier for them.
So MAN security did what they were there for. Greater Manchester Police, er, didn't. Not necessarily their fault, forensic services are notoriously under resourced following government cutbacks.

CDTraveler

Feeling relieved that we actually survived departing MAN.

MAN security makes the TSA look good. Powermad and illogical confiscation of food resulting in harm to pax w/ multiple food allergies, does that keep air travel safe?

IAN-UK

Yes, I get used to typing MIA for the airport station in my travel planner.

I think the airport also used MIA for some time as an abbreviation for Manchester International Airport. Someone unkindly pointed out the "international" bit suggests insecurity in airport eminence. Though I guess it differentiated it from Barton



I just pulled these snippets from a Guardian article. I note the GMP Superintendent of Special Operations shares the sunny view that the incident highlights the effectiveness of MIA's security.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...adeem-muhammad


...the security manager at Terminal 3, initially kept [the device] in her pocket before it was handed to police.

Supt Graeme Openshaw ... said security procedures at the airport had been tightened up. “We accept that there were some errors with our assessment of the device on the day and we have already reviewed our practices, however, this incident has demonstrated the effectiveness of the airport security checks where the item was successfully detected and the passenger intercepted,” he said.

Muhammad was questioned .... but released. He returned to the airport the next day to collect his mobile phone, which had been taken by police, then again on 5 February when he boarded another flight to Italy.

IAN-UK

No, it was at the regular security theatre.

MADPhil

It does seem to be used by the railway, they use MAN for Piccadilly.

retirementdreams

retirementdreams

jumping on the thread here....4 of us will be arriving from USA 0900 hrs sept 27...will we need to factor in extra time or would the 1 hour guesstimate be in the ball park?? I'm glad I found this info!! arriving from west coast of US, so will be along journey!!

armouredant

Thank you for getting this thread back on track!

IAN-UK

Just not clear if the track has further to go

I think we already settled on one hour being a comfortable air/rail transition time. It can certainly be done in less, but ...

I'd still be nervous booking in advance one of those cheaper, specific time, trains for a long journey.

But booking in advance is certainly the way to go, I've see horrendous queues for the ticket windows.