No Explosives in Liquids Carried by Pak Woman

Washington, DC: Chemical tests on two bottles of liquid found in the carry-on luggage of a woman of Pakistani origin at a West Virginia airport did not reveal the presence of explosives, a Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman said last Friday.
The airport terminal was evacuated after two bottles tested positive for explosives residue, she said. “It looks like there were four items containing liquids,” said TSA spokeswoman Amy von Walter. A machine that security checkpoint screeners used to test for explosives registered positive results for two containers, and a canine team also got a positive hit, she said.
The TSA screening looks for a range of explosives residue, some of which can be found on common household items, said TSA spokesman Darrin Kayser.
No charges were filed against the woman, who was taken from the airport by federal authorities, officials said. The woman was cooperative, they said.
The woman’s mother told the Associated Press that her daughter, who was four months pregnant and lived in Barboursville, West Virginia, was targeted because of her nationality and Islamic headcover.
“It was not only a false alarm, it was racial discrimination because there was nothing,” Ms Qayyum was quoted as saying while refusing to name her daughter.
“She just had water to drink because she was pregnant and she had a face wash that had a drop of bleach on it,” Qayyum said from her home in Jackson.
The FBI did not immediately return messages Thursday night seeking comment on the racial profiling allegations, the AP said.
A screener noticed a bottle in a woman’s carry-on bag as she was going through security before her flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, said Tri-State Airport Authority President Jim Booton.
One bottle contained a gel-type facial cleanser, FBI spokesman Jeff Killeen said. “Anytime a prohibited item is brought to a checkpoint, then you are going to be immediately more interested in that bag,” Kayser said.

 

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