On December 22, 2001—just months after the 9/11 attacks—Richard Reid boarded American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami with homemade bombs hidden in his shoes.

During the flight, Reid tried to detonate his shoes, but he struggled to light the fuse. Crew members and passengers noticed and restrained him.

The plane diverted to Logan International Airport in Boston, and Massachusetts State Police officers took Reid into custody. Reid told FBI agents that he made the shoes himself.

This is the pair of shoes [Richard] Reid—also known as the “shoe bomber”—tried to detonate. FBI bomb techs determined that the shoes contained about 10 ounces of explosive material.

https://www.fbi.gov/history/artifacts/richard-reids-shoes

  • @actionjbone
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    814 months ago

    No, we take our shoes off for security theater.

    You want actual security? Have trained agents who observe all the people. Instead, we have shlubs sitting by monitors that they don’t watch.

    • @[email protected]
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      334 months ago

      I traveled recently and was surprised to find I had inadvertently got a pocket knife through security. Apparently forgot to take it out of my bag. TSA did not catch it.

      • PopShark
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        134 months ago

        They caught a credit card knife I had left in my wallet forgotten about and made me throw it out this was years ago and I have yet to get another credit card knife because it was a gift lol

          • PopShark
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            74 months ago

            Yeah it’s a small flat knife like a pocketknife like small flat swiss army but with only a knife attachment and it unfolds like oragami into a thin rectangle meant to fit in wallets’ card flaps or wherever else cards go but when using it you fold it up into a small knife blade and a handle for it I mean it’s like for tiny things like cutting packages open or whatever people use small swiss army knives for. If you seriously tried to use it even remotely violently or in a threatening manner at most you will give someone a small cut like a gnarly papercut and more likely you’d just be thrown in a loony bin lol but TSA has its rules God forbid I have that on me on the flight along with a large shampoo bottle and liquids brought from home that’s straight to jail

              • @[email protected]M
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                14 months ago

                The multitool parts at that price were low quality, but a knife in wallet is handy. I did like that kit when it came outs Gerber and I think other brands now make just a knife card.

        • @[email protected]
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          44 months ago

          This happened to me too several years ago, but apparently there had just been some type of attempted attack with those a few months prior in Belgium and they were a restricted weapon in canada. I did end up getting on the plane but not before being read my rights by some cops and given a very stern talking to. And being shamed for not watching the news lmao.

          • PopShark
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            34 months ago

            The one I had was tiny and flimsy I mean basically only for opening packages or cutting like paper and cardboard small stuff I imagine in the attempted attack you mentioned theirs was more beefy or something because mine was like a toy or souvenir literally it was corporate branded bs lol

            • @[email protected]
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              4 months ago

              Ah I mean yeah mine had like a real 1.5 inch blade and was pretty sharp, and the plastic casing around it could like fold down into a handle. It was really cool actually, but I got it off some Chinese website for like $2 years before and it literally was forgotten in my wallet for like 3 years. At least until it seemed to be taking a long time for him to xray my bag and I saw him call someone else over, then it came rushing back in a wave of dread lol.

        • @ShawiniganHandshake
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          34 months ago

          Something similar happened to me. I accidentally left a Victorinox Swiss Card in my wallet when I went traveling. They only flagged it at the airport on the way back. Security made me throw out the tiny scissors because they were longer than 2 inches but let me keep the knife part. It was absurd.

      • Tar_Alcaran
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        74 months ago

        Happened to me too. It was in my laptop bag, and nobody cared. But the bottle of water is a massive problem

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet
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      124 months ago

      They don’t want actual security. They want perceived terror and a populace that is used to being forced to do uncomfortable things that they know are pointless.

      • @[email protected]
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        -174 months ago

        Covid proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt. I’m old enough to remember the manufactured hysteria over swine flu, and SARS. It’s like they kept trying every ten years or so and finally found a populous where a majoritt would buy into that horseshit.

    • Tar_Alcaran
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      24 months ago

      Exactly. Just have skilled people talk to people.

      • @[email protected]
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        34 months ago

        But you gotta train and pay skilled people…that’s not compatible with the stated objectives.