Guy Brought Guns, Swords, and Daggers on New York Airplane
Mohamed Ibrahim Khalf flew from New York to Cairo on EgyptAir "with a mini-arsenal of two pistols, 250 rounds of ammo, two swords and 11 daggers." Basically, the only guy named Mohamed not racially profiled actually had weapons.
Khalf, a botany professor, boarded his flight at JFK without security personnel noticing the enormous weapons stockpile in his checked luggage. A "routine inspection" in Cairo revealed the cache—and Khalf has since been detained—but it may not have broken any laws:
His weapons cache would have been allowed under US law, so long as it was in his checked luggage and properly declared to the airline, the TSA said.
EgyptAir's rules allowed him to carry two pistols and 10 pounds of ammo in checked baggage, so long as he declared them. US airlines have similar rules, and the TSA requires weapons to be stowed in locked, hard-sided containers.
Who knew? And, if it's all legal, then I guess the most menacing thing about him is, um, his racial profile? I hate it when a story collapses back into itself like that. [NYPost, pic via AP]