Xbox 360 Sparks Bomb Scare

CivilianHero writes "The New York Post is reporting that a carry-on case, with an Xbox 360 inside, sparked a terror alert to go off at MacArthur Airport after several x-ray screenings revealed the case to be containing suspicious wires. That section of the airport was cleared and the bomb squad was deployed to investigate. That's one more reason why Xbox 360 is the bomb for Games.net and Joystiq."

Comments

fully story - no reg needed

[Anonymous Coward]

December 28, 2005 -- A passenger toting an Xbox 360 in a carry-on case sparked a terror alert at MacArthur Airport on Long Island yesterday, forcing a terminal to be evacuated.
Officials say the Chicago-bound flier, worried that his game console might be swiped if he checked it, instead put it in a metal case that he carried through security checkpoints.

At 12:15 p.m., the container passed through an X-ray machine, and screeners thought it might have held a bomb.

"The package looked to be suspicious with wires running through it," said airport spokeswoman Michele Remsen.

Officials evacuated the west wing and called in the bomb squad.

Officers examined the case and deemed it harmless.

Airport worker Kimberley Edwards, 17, who'd been on the job for just three days, said the incident was "frightening."

"Of course I thought it was a terrorist threat,"she said.

Re:This looks bad..

[Toxicgonzo]

Why not, its the perfect terrorist weapon. Just turn it on for a few minutes, let it overheat and hey, you've got a fire hazard capable of taking down a commercial airplane.

Re:x-ray machines

[Yaotzin]

Take a good read here. Do you see the picture of the bag? That's what airport security sees on their screens and they determine whether the contents of the bags they check are a threat or not.

gotta wonder if these brainiacs

[NeMon'ess]

Even asked him what it was and if so, why didn't they believe him? He put it in a metal case, so what? That makes it more conspicious. I'm quite sure many folks have taken their PS2s in their carry-on because they didn't want 100 pounds of luggage on top of theirs in the cart-trains out on the tarmac.

Re:x-ray machines

[Tim Browse]

So in other words, they can detect biological material?

From your own link:

While the colors used to signify "inorganic" and "metal" may vary between manufacturers, all X-ray systems use shades of orange to represent "organic." This is because most explosives are organic.

The caption on the picture of the bag also says:

Notice that all organic items are a shade of orange.

Bundle your wires

[DustMagnet]

I always bundle my wires and keep them separate from complex electronics. They way the screeners have no trouble telling the wires aren't connected to explosives. These people have a tough job. The quicker they can tell that your bag is safe, the better it is for everyone.

In my checked bags over the holidays, I put all wires and antennas in an outside pocket of my checked bag. Power lumps with attached cords were wrapped and kept away from my hubs, etc. Since I started making an effort to help the X-ray guys, my bags have not been hand searched.