Believed To Have Left Contraband On SWA Flights

"I'd love to speak to all of this. I have a ton of stuff I'd like to say, but now is not the time. I have to work with government before I work with the media."

That statement came from 20-year-old Nathaniel Heatwole, a student at Guiford College in North Carolina, after he was questioned by the FBI Friday. He's believed to be responsible for leaving plastic bags with boxcutter knives, clay (to simulate plastic explosives) and bleach (to simulate dangerous chemicals) on at least two Southwest 737s.

The items were discovered Thursday night in New Orleans (LA) and Houston (TX).

Southwest said in a statement that the items seemed to have been "intended to simulate a threat." The notes in both bags "indicated the items were intended to challenge Transportation Security Administration checkpoint security procedures."

A government official went a little further. "The note basically said, to paraphrase, that while the TSA has done a good job improving airport security, there are some major areas of concern -- I was able to get these items through and the American people need to know," the senior official said.

"The note did single out TSA by name."

Heatwole did confirm to the Greensboro News and Record that he'd been questioned and then released by the FBI Friday. "They were pretty quick. I wasn't surprised."

"It doesn't appear to be a terrorist event," FBI Director Robert Mueller told reporters during in Houston Friday. "There were no explosives, there is no imminent threat."

But the discovery of the items in Houston and New Orleans did prompt the TSA to order all passenger aircraft checked within 24 hours. By Saturday afternoon, airlines had inspected more than 7,000 planes in the civil fleet. There's no indication that any other items were found.

Paul Rancatore, deputy chairman of the security committee for American Airlines' pilots union, described the searches as routine and not very detailed. "It's kind of a walk-through. They're just looking for things that are obvious. There's no removing of panels, no dogs."

Scorn For TSA

Passengers experienced slight delays as the searches were conducted. When told why, not many were terribly surprised.

The TSA employees act no different than the ones before them," said Rebecca Mackert, a sales representative from Columbus (OH), as she waited at Denver International Airport to meet up with her husband. "They speak a little more English, but they are still watching TVs and talking to each other."

Congressman John Mica (R-FL), chairman of the House aviation subcommittee, said the whole thing demonstrates how all employees with access to aircraft and whatever they bring on board should be thoroughly screened. He also said TSA needs improved technology to screen for explosives and banned objects.

"We need to have TSA get its act together and put in place the adequate training and technology to deal with the threat," said Mica.

FMI: www.tsa.gov