"Probe after Reporter Takes Knife onto Mideast Flight"

Friday, July 9, 2004

Probe after Reporter Takes Buck Knife onto Mideast Flight 
By Louise Barnett
United Kingdom - The Scotsman


British Airways has launched an investigation after a journalist
smuggled an 8in long Buck Knife onto a high-risk flight in the Middle
East.

The weapon went unnoticed by security guards at Kuwait airport who
allowed The Sun reporter to board the BA flight back to London's
Heathrow.

Placed at the bottom of hand luggage the knife with a 3.5in blade went
through two X-ray machines without raising an alarm, according to The
Sun.

With the Buck Knife in his hand luggage, the reporter sat in business
class of the Boeing 777 where he was photographed with the weapon.

A British Airways spokeswoman said security at Kuwait airport was the
responsibility of the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA),
part of the Kuwait government.

"We take this incident extremely seriously and have launched an
immediate investigation," she said. "The DGCA carries out security
searches on behalf of all airlines at Kuwait airport.

"On receiving information about this incident we immediately contacted
the DGCA and asked them to review security as well as implementing
additional measures at Kuwait airport.

"We are also sending security experts to the area to work with the
Kuwaiti government to satisfy and reassure ourselves that all security
procedures carried out by the DGCA are of the highest standard."

The spokeswoman said security on flights had been stepped up since the
September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.


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