"Two Newark TSA supervisors lose jobs after fake bomb got on plane in test"

Friday, February 4, 2005

Two supervisors at airport lose jobs after fake bomb got on plane in test 
BY RON MARSICO 
The New Jersey Star-Ledger


Two people who supervise screeners at Newark Liberty International Airport
will be fired for their role in a test that went awry in December, allowing
a fake bomb onto a plane to Holland, U.S. security officials said yesterday.


Curtis Harriott, a screening manager, and Toni Brown, a screening
supervisor, were issued termination notices, which allow them two weeks to
challenge the actions, according to agency officials familiar with the
action. 
 
The breach was a major embarrassment for the U.S. Transportation Security
Administration, which has overseen security at Newark Airport since
mid-2002. The TSA takeover from private security companies was authorized by
Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, in which 19 hijackers
bypassed security at three airports, including Newark. 

Reached last night, Harriott confirmed that he was issued a termination
notice, but declined comment. Brown could not be reached last night. Both
had been demoted in the immediate aftermath of the Dec. 14 incident at
Terminal C. 

Baggage screeners lost track of the fake bomb -- contained in a soft-covered
bag -- during a test of operations of personnel at explosive detection
machines. The bag, containing simulated Semtex explosives, a detonator,
wiring and a clock, was allowed onto Continental Flight 70 to Amsterdam with
more than 200 passengers aboard. 

At the time, TSA officials said there was no danger because the fake
explosive contained an inert material. The officials, however, said the fake
bomb had been mishandled and a TSA representative based in Belgium was
dispatched to Amsterdam to retrieve the device when the plane landed. 

The incident prompted a review at Newark Airport by TSA Internal Affairs
agents, and the actions against Harriott and Brown stemmed from the probe,
officials said. 

Marcus Arroyo, the federal security director who oversees TSA operations at
Newark Airport, declined to comment. TSA officials at the agency's Virginia
headquarters also declined to discuss the matter. 

In December, two TSA officials said the test should not have been conducted
in the first place because a TSA employee who conducted it was not
authorized by agency headquarters to oversee training exercises.


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