And We want to tell you about the security scare that created upheaval at another American airport delaying thousands of travellers and the problem : A 65- year-old woman who had a gun in a bag, and then disappeared into the terminal. She was arrested tonight. Airport security is again on the hot seat. And here's ABC's Lisa Stark.
It was a mass scramble at Dallas Fort-Word- airport after security scanners spotted a gun in a carry-on computer bag. But the time security agents went to pull the bag it was gone. And so was the passenger, officers put security tapes to pinpoint the passenger, and fanned out across all five terminals, shutting down terminal D completely, even boarding flights had already loaded, they finally found their passenger. A 65-year-old woman on the American Airline Jet bound for Houston. It had already pulled from the gate, and had to be called back. The woman identified is Judith Canny, her bag, and 38 caliber pistol were taken off the jet. She reportedly told agents she had forgotten she had it, every other passenger was re-screened. That flight took off over an hour late, 10 other flights were also delayed.
Most of airport security is security theater. And that's unfortunate. um, weapons and other items have forgotten through.
Since 9/11 there have been more than 25,000 security breaches at airports including this one at the Newark International, when a love-sick boyfriend snacked through a security exit to bid his girlfriend goodbye. Thousands of passengers had to be re-screened. TASA insists most of these breaches were minor. The agency has also come under attack for being too aggressive with invasive pat down to children and the elderly.
Now as for the woman in today's charge, she faces state felony charges of carrying weapon where it's prohibited. And Diana, she also faces thousands of dollars in federal civil penalties.
