"FBI catalogs hidden weapons that terrorists could use, warns airport screeners"

Wednesday, August 6, 2003

FBI catalogs hidden weapons that terrorists could use, warns airport
screeners 
BY CURT ANDERSON
The Associated Press 


WASHINGTON (AP) -- The FBI is urging airport security personnel to watch for
dozens of seemingly everyday items -- from hairbrushes to crucifixes -- that
can conceal knives or other weapons terrorists could use to hijack an
airliner. 

Many cost less than $20, are readily available and can be difficult to
detect using airport screening devices, according to an FBI statement
accompanying the 89-page catalog obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.


The catalog has been converted into a compact disc and circulated to airport
screeners and law enforcement around the country amid heightened vigilance
intended to prevent another suicide hijacking by al-Qaida. 

"It was designed to raise security awareness for law enforcement and airline
security," FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said. 

U.S. law enforcement officials previously have warned that al-Qaida might
use improvised or easily obtained substances to mount attacks, especially
chemicals that are dangerous when mixed. What makes the FBI weapons list
unusual is that most of the concealable knives, pepper spray devices and
other items are inexpensive and can be purchased from manufacturers in the
United States and other countries. 

Knives can be concealed in belt buckles, hairbrushes and combs, working
cigarette lighters, crucifixes, lipstick cases, canes, umbrellas, keychains,
pens, mock credit cards and money clips. While many of the blades are small,
others can be at least 4 inches long and some are sword-length. 

Among the more exotic items is a deck of fake playing cards made of metal,
with sharp edges, that can be thrown with deadly results. One fake key made
in Japan conceals a knife and a smaller key that could be used to escape
from handcuffs. 

One device, called a "shuckra," is a metal tube containing a wire that, when
locked into place, becomes a hardened spike that could be used as a dagger. 

There are false name-brand soup, hairspray, shaving cream and cleanser cans
with hidden compartments -- the FBI calls them "can safes" -- where weapons
or dangerous substances could be placed. Fake books with hollowed centers
are used as safes. 

Each item in the catalog is shown with a ruler to give security personnel a
sense of scale and an X-ray image of how it might appear when viewed in a
screening device at an airport or building entrance. 

The FBI's collection was purchased through catalogs, at knife shows and
through other commercial outlets. Officials said none of the items were
confiscated from passengers. 

The 19 men who hijacked four jetliners on Sept. 11, 2001, and crashed them
in New York City, Washington and southwestern Pennsylvania used common
boxcutters as weapons. The FBI catalog is circulating at a time of increased
security at airports based on intelligence collected from captured al-Qaida
operatives and al-Qaida safe houses about plans for another attack using the
nation's air travel system. 

The United States has sent aviation experts to Iraq and major capitals in
Europe and Asia to assess the security of commercial airports, The New York
Times reported late Wednesday in its online edition. 

The U.S. investigators are determining whether the airports can be defended
against shoulder-fired missiles, the Times reported. 

The Transportation Security Administration forbids air travelers from
carrying sharp objects into an aircraft cabin. The agency bans such items as
boxcutters, metal scissors with pointed tips, meat cleavers, swords and ice
picks. 

But the FBI catalog notes there are many other razor knives and penknives
that are used in construction and other businesses that could be just as
deadly in the hands of a terrorist. Even plastic lettuce knives are
included. 

"Each of these tools was designed to cut and is fully functional in that
respect," the FBI statement says. "Whether used to cut paper, cardboard or
other material, these knives should be treated as potentially dangerous
weapons." 

The Homeland Security Department on Tuesday warned travelers to expect
greater scrutiny of cameras, cell phones and other electronics because of
evidence al-Qaida had experimented with using cameras to house stun guns or
explosives. 

The government also recently tightened visa rules for international
travelers passing through U.S. airports after warnings in late July that
al-Qaida teams might try to hijack international flights. 

The FBI concealed weapons catalog is unrelated to these latest warnings.
Officials say a worker at the FBI lab in Quantico, Va., began the catalog
shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks so that security personnel would be aware
of the vast array of dangerous items that can be legally purchased and could
easily escape notice. 

On the Net: 
Link to view the weapons: 

 http://datacenter.ap.org/wdc/fbiweapons.pdf


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