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.
The last time I flew was 5 years ago. Even then one of the airports didn’t require me to take off my shoes. Now if only they could get rid of the 3-1-1 rule.
The 3-1-1 rule is way more annoying. I actually don’t mind taking off my shoes, getting ready to travel makes me anxious and that anxiety makes my feet sweat and stink. It’s kind of pleasant to get an excuse to air them out… sorry everybody…