A man flaying from Tampa to Las Vegas was arrested after security personnel found a box cutter in a hollowed-out book (see picture in the link). The man claims that he hollowed it out to hide money and marijuana from his roommates. He said that he forgot he moving to Las Vegas and forgot the box-cutter was in the book. Now, you can believe this story or not, but does the following information affect your impression of the case:
I have to admit reading this made me think this case is more serious and this story is less likely to be true. Is this religious bigotry? Does the fact that he had Islamic literature change your view on this case? Does it make you more or less likely to believe his story about having forgotten the box cutter or does it make no difference to you?
I don’t find it any more scary than before I read the part about the books. Why would you?
In ANY population, including Muslims, the percentage of people who try to hide pot from their roommates is vastly larger than the percentage who try to commit terrorist acts on airplanes using a box cutter. Vastly, vastly larger.
A box cutter is not even a particularly terrifying weapon. Sure, that’s what some of the 9/11 guys used, but why would another terrorist use the same thing? It was probably just what they had on hand. Would you be as scared if it was a Swiss Army Knife (a more likely weapon IMO)?
Plus the pot story should be easy to check out. Does the book have any residual pot odor detectable by a trained dog? I doubt a holy terrorist would keep a stash in a book about Mohammad. Actually, I doubt a holly terrorist would cut a book about Mohammad. Or take books on theology and comparative religion with him on his jihad. A Qur’an and maybe a prayer book, sure, but he’s not getting much studying or light reading done unless he hijacks a very long flight.
The more I think about it the less likely it seems that he’s a terrorist.
I don’t think that it matters much that he had pot. The box cutter and Islamic texts IS worrisome, given our experience with that combination. Maybe he’s innocent of terrorism or maybe not, the fact remains that he is an absolute IDIOT for trying to bring these things onto a plane, and the fact that upon further searching, he ALSO had Islamic texts.
Tough to explain away to the TSA/FAA/FBI.
And furthermore, what is the deal with rappers/celebs and guns on planes?
Barry Switzer, etc…“Oh yeah, that…I forgot I had it”
How in the fuck do you forget you have a goddamn gun in your luggage?
Answer: you don’t, but you thought you could get away with it.
What are idiots like this thinking?
I do not think the book with that hollowed out was not about Mohammad. It was called Fear Itself. Amazon has a few books with this title, none of which are about Mohammad.
Now that I read the link, I see that the man isn’t even described as being Muslim! Nor does he appear to be a devout wahhabist Muslim. Nor is he even from a Muslim country or or “Muslim-looking.” So just reading about Islam makes someone scary now?
LOTS of people have weapons. Not all the ones who read books on religion are out to get you! Not even the ones who are actually Muslim!
Well, his excuse about the pot doesn’t explain why then instead of pot there was a box cutter in there- he was moving? I’ve never used a box cutter when moving.
And if he did plan some sort of malfeasance, hasn’t he heard it isn’t possible to duplicate the 2001 box cutter incidents as pilots aren’t opening the cockpit doors, no matter what?
My initial thoughts when I read the article from this link were we have a 21-year-old idiot trying to push the edge and he got caught. No more and no less. When I take into account his choice of reading material, I am more convinced he knew what he was doing, he knew the box cutter was there and he included the religious documents just to get a rise out of authorities if he was found out.
In a different circumstance such as a city street, at night, such a provocation with authorities would probably earn him the status of a potential Darwin Award nominee.
When I first saw the thread title, I thought some craft maker forgot he had a box cutter in his luggage and the person happened to be a Muslim and got caught up in hysteria.
Reading this, what I find scary is man has box cutter in hollowed out book trying to get on airplane. That situation warrants investigation and is scary enough by itself.
Wait. Why exactly would he be hiding a box cutter in a hollowed-out book meant for stashing marijuana? Why would he try to bring a hollowed-out marijuana-stashing book (without marijuana) onto a plane? That is a little scary, even if I doubt that one guy with a box cutter would get very far.
The Islam stuff is just an unfortunate red herring, making one side more and one side less sympathetic with him.
I think the story would be that he hollowed out the book with the box cutter a while back and put it in there with his weed and money. He smoked the weed and spent the money and then forget that this was the book he hollowed out and then took it with him to Vegas.
To answer your OP, no, his literature has no bearing on my feelings about the situation.
And? I’m sure thousands of Muslims use box cutters every day for things other than terrorism. I don’t automatically raise an eyebrow at this situation anymore than I would watch my back just because I see a black guy with a knife.
It was a stunt. The fact that he says he had MJ in there is another attention-getting ploy. Why not just say he kept money in there? MJ is illegal, you know? But this gets him attention, so now he can be some bad dude rapper and sell a zillion songs, go on talk shows, etc.
Yeah, it is. One slice across a neck with one is all it takes to kill.
Most people aren’t afraid of people legally carrying weapons- not even those that read about Islam. But if your attitude toward someone illegally carrying a box cutter aboard an airplane and also has four books regarding Islam and a Bible is “LOTS of people have weapons”, I would question your honesty or ability to assess what constitutes a dangerous situation.
Because it worked two out of three times in the past and it’s too difficult to sneak a gun on board? You have any better ideas?
What’s your point in asking that question? Why wouldn’t another terrorist use the same thing?
In the hollowed out pages of a book? That is not how your average law abiding citizen goes about storing or carrying a box cutter.
No, you have to be Muslim-looking too. :rolleyes: Someone who reads about Islam is not scary. But in a post 9/11 world, someone who has limited space on a plane for personal items and has four books on Islam and one Bible and a box cutter hidden in a book is more scary than someone who has a box cutter hidden in a book, a pair of sweatpants, a toothbrush, and a Mad magazine.
I disagree. Someone who carries a concealed box cutter aboard a plane is worth investigating. I will concede that a known Muslim carrying a concealed box cutter (or other weapon) is worthy of greater concern, although the degree of added concern based on religion is, absent other information, negligible. There is absolutely no probative value whatsoever in knowing what someone’s reading habits are, however (unless they’re reading something like “How To Fly a Plane, Vol I: Take Off Through Initial Descent” or “1001 Fatwas Against the Great Satan”).
Were the 9/11 terrorists carrying Islamic reading material? Have any terrorists been found carrying Islamic reading material? If not, then you’re reacting emotionally without applying any critical thinking.
Seriously, you bring a book on board a plane if you’re planning to read it. I think if I were looking for a book to read during my flight, I’d remember which book I hollowed out to hide my pot.
Pot smokers don’t forget where they stashed their pot. Doesn’t happen.