MIT student arrested for fake bomb at Boston's Logan airport

Boston authorities have once again put their hair-trigger reactions on display for the world today in a case involving an MIT student and bad fashion choices. In a situation eerily similar to the Aqua Teen Hunger Force debacle, Star Simpson (the student in question) was placed under arrest at gunpoint (submachine gunpoint, that is) at Boston's Logan airport because of an "art project" she was wearing. Simpson, who was at the airport to meet her boyfriend, was sporting a black sweatshirt with a circuit board and flashing LEDs attached... and was inexplicably holding Play-Doh. Authorities mistook the combination for some type of explosive device. Maj. Scott Pare, the airport's commanding officer said, "I'm shocked and appalled that somebody would wear this type of device to an airport," and then lovingly added, "She's lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue." Here's our suggestion to authorities next time: just ask, "What's up with the bad art?"

[paul34 @ Sep 21st 2007 7:28PM]

Other than the laughable amount of paranoia in my country today...

Does anyone remember those light-up t-shirts in the early 90s?!?! This post just totally reminded me of them! LOL I wanted one so bad as a kid but my mom always said no, citing something about radiation or something? Meh =(

[Gnaget @ Sep 21st 2007 10:09PM]

Unfortunately, this is nothing but a college student going out to get a reaction, and some attention. Of course they are going to freak out about it. I am not saying it is right, but neither is going out and trying to provoke an over reaction. The police aren't allowed to entrap citizens, let us not do it either.

[DickHardknocks @ Sep 22nd 2007 12:08AM]

Repeat after me...

L.E.D does not mean I.E.D.

[Carbonize @ Sep 22nd 2007 3:22AM]

Funny to the few but not to the many. I doubt that 96% of the population knows what I.E.D. stands for.

[Shane @ Sep 22nd 2007 12:07PM]

Isn't an I.E.D. one of those birth control devices?

[uagent @ Sep 22nd 2007 1:18PM]

You're thinking of I *U* D (Intra-Uterine Device).

[Shane @ Sep 22nd 2007 1:45PM]

*sigh*
@uagent
It was a joke...Obviously others got it but you missed it...

[Scott G. @ Sep 22nd 2007 2:29PM]

@JohnBoy - yeah, cause they let anyone "waltz through security unchallenged" She can't even get through security, she's picking up her boyfriend so she doesn't have a boarding pass.
But, I do agree they reacted properly. As much as that doesn't look like a bomb, I'd rather airport security make the mistake of going ahead and arresting her, than making the mistake of not reacting when it is a real bomb.

[Dorian @ Sep 23rd 2007 1:33PM]

@ScottG
I agree, they acted accordingly, but honestly, wouldn't questioning, and, you know, following police rules etc... have been a better choice? The fact that the security dude said 'She's lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue.' is rather frightening.

Personally, I'm canadian, so I'm used to much more lax securty systems at airports, but a good friend of myne was killed in the london terrorist attack, so I can appreciate good security. But honestly, this issue takes security a bit far.

[Thomas Bags @ Sep 21st 2007 7:32PM]

We all know that bombers make their bombs fully visible on their shirts with large flashing lights just to let everyone know.

How f*cking stupid and paranoid has this country got? You got as much of a chance of being killed by a terrorist as getting run over by a train and stuck by lightening at the same time.

[Ras Thavas @ Sep 21st 2007 9:20PM]

You do realize terrorists do "dry runs" all the time to measure law enforcement response times and such.

[mikey @ Sep 21st 2007 9:27PM]

A MIT student with wires, batteries, dodgy looking circuit boards and some mystery putty in their hands. Hanging around in an airpot.

Surley this is the ultimate example of how education and intelligence hold no correlation atall.

[Phreak511 @ Sep 21st 2007 9:34PM]

Actually, dumb ass, in Israel, they wear heavy winter coats (which cover their detonation vests) in the middle of summer and board buses loaded with women and children...

[phoomp @ Sep 22nd 2007 10:44AM]

She's from the MIT Media Lab. Those kids have been embedding circuitry into their clothing for almost a decade to the point where some of them look like Borg in public.

Not an excuse for her though. Just sayin', she's probably wasn't trying to pretend that she had a bomb ... she was probably trying to make some social-technological statement.

[Nogami @ Sep 21st 2007 11:25PM]

Must suck being an American and being frightened over everything, all the time.

Personally, I don't live in America, and have absolutely no fear of terrorist attack. At all. Ever.

Go figure.

[JohnBoy @ Sep 21st 2007 11:40PM]

If the police hadn't reacted the way they did, what would be the result? Say they had simply ignored her and let her waltz through security unchallenged.

The headline on tomorrow's NYT frontpage would read: "Student Smuggles Fake Bomb Past Boston TSA" And all of the same people who are defending her now would be talking incredulously about how incompetent airline security is.

Bottom line is that airport security reacted exactly how they were supposed to, and anyone who thinks that TSA agents should have knowledge equivalent to an mechanical/electrical engineering degree, to tell the difference between a real bomb and a fake bomb at a glance, is an asshat.

[Thomas Bags @ Sep 21st 2007 11:43PM]

Well no, what I meant was, they didn't need to hold her at automatic machine gun-point

[John Doe @ Sep 22nd 2007 1:36AM]

"How f*cking stupid and paranoid has this country got? "


Very....on both counts.

[John Doe @ Sep 22nd 2007 1:39AM]

"Not an excuse for her though. Just sayin', she's probably wasn't trying to pretend that she had a bomb ... she was probably trying to make some social-technological statement."

So what is the putty suppose to represent other the plastic explosive?

[interlard @ Sep 22nd 2007 8:26AM]

JohnBoy, she didn't try to go through security. The article states that she showed up to meet a friend. Only passengers go through security and as we all know, they won't let you through if you're carrying too much shampoo. The TSA weren't involved and noone would have published an article on how they let a fake bomb through security.

It was the airport armed police who have been using Alias as a training video and think that bombs are brightly colored and flashing, like they do on TV. I suppose she is "lucky" that they didn't kill her, but who's the biggest moron: a moron with a battery and play-doh or a trigger-happy moron with a gun? I think this is a lesson for us all.

[Fenway Beer Man @ Sep 22nd 2007 12:31PM]

Nogami: you are confusing Americans with our government. Just because our government throws its own shadow in jail for following too closely behind doesn't mean that it's citizens are afraid.

I have quit watching network news for precisely this reason. The media is even worse than the government.

[thak @ Sep 21st 2007 7:32PM]

I guess MIT students are way beyond just holding up a sign with a name on it.....O'brien? Murphy?

[zib @ Sep 21st 2007 7:46PM]

i friggen know that kid! she's really spaced out all the time :P

[Kyle @ Sep 21st 2007 7:33PM]

From http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/09/mit_student_arr.html, they report that when an employee questioned her about the circuit board, she walked away without responding.

Nice to see MIT students with such little common sense.

[Anthony @ Sep 21st 2007 7:41PM]

I think that people do lots of stupid things & are then mad when people react the way they want them to.

If you are at an airport & security asks you a question I recommend answering.

Plus- keep the play-doh at home.

I also recommend keeping compressed air cartridges @ home too (I speak from experience).

[Ben Schiendelman @ Sep 21st 2007 8:10PM]

There was no play-doh on the shirt. They are calling tape and paint play-doh to make it sound to people who don't have pictures as if this was a bomb. This looks NOTHING like a bomb, it's a breadboard with some LEDs and a battery.

[stevesreed @ Sep 21st 2007 9:27PM]

"She was holding a lump of what looked like putty in her hands. "

[kris @ Sep 21st 2007 10:21PM]

Hey ben - maybe it looks nothing like a bomb to you - but if you're a 30-50 year old police officer/security guard who's never touched a wire, what are you going to think? It's not a matter of looking like a bomb or not - it's a matter of this girl not using common sense. It's not like she was on the street with this, she was in a goddamn airport. You can't bring certain amount of liquids past a certain security point, and she thought this would be acceptable?

[fischju @ Sep 21st 2007 7:32PM]

Hahahahahahaha

[dj-kenpo @ Sep 21st 2007 7:35PM]

America scares the fuck out of me.

Now that the canadian dollar is at par ($1 == $1) I keep thinking, "boy I'd love to go to disney world again" cuz it's cheaper now, then I hear shit like this, and it's like, scratch that I don't like micky anyways.

[Jon @ Sep 21st 2007 7:43PM]

At least our money isn't all goofy fkn colors and we wont hand you a buncha coins as soon as you walk in .. But you got us in the stripper dept .. i call it a draw

[dj-kenpo @ Sep 21st 2007 7:52PM]

I wouldn't say that too loudly, the Europeans like their coloured money as well. we also have the metric system so I don't call it a draw ;) counting by 12's... jesus christ...

what's next? counting by 1024's?

oh... wait a minute...

[Jon @ Sep 21st 2007 8:09PM]

Oh you can be our 52'd state anytime , Oh wait ...

[Manny @ Sep 21st 2007 8:21PM]

Why do you try this stunt in Canada. Do you seriously think the Mounties would just laugh it off?

[dj-kenpo @ Sep 21st 2007 8:39PM]

@Manny, would I try this stunt in canada, me personally, no. but if I did, 1) mounties don't patrol airports, and 2) I would not be afraid of being shot or even arrested in a canadian airport for doing this. I would be afraid of getting a stern talking to by the police if somehow I didn't answer the 30 people that asked me why the hell I was wearing such ugly LED's... but that's all.

[Chris Macdonald @ Sep 21st 2007 8:59PM]

Hey shut up about Canada, and shut up about the US. I'm from Canada, and I love America and Canada. Plus, she didn't get shot down. That's what counts right? If you walked into a Canadian airport with something that resembles a bomb, You might run the risk of getting shot down if you ignore anyone who questions you about it too. And Can't an MIT student come up with some better LED art than that?

[jroc @ Sep 21st 2007 9:41PM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlnIkhYCS4w watch this and still call America a "free country" you cant even ask a fucking question anymore "the right to free speech"!

[kris @ Sep 21st 2007 10:28PM]

Oh please jroc - get your head out of your ass - that kid was asking for that response, and you're falling for it. If he had half a brain he would of been able to ask questions and have them answered without looking like a total jackass.

[peshue @ Sep 21st 2007 7:41PM]

It sounds like they overreacted, but still. Wearing anything even remotely dangerous looking into a airport the way people are now about this crap is just plain stupid.

[Twitchy @ Sep 21st 2007 7:52PM]

It's only a matter of time until all visitors to an airport (not just those travelling) are required to wear nothing but those disposable painters overalls with all baggage being FedExed, and that's only because forcing someone to travel naked would be against human rights.

[Static @ Sep 21st 2007 7:45PM]

Yeah, sorry but this is ridiculous.
Would you take a realistic toy gun into an airport? Waving it around?
C'mon. I can't believe that we have to cater to these idiots.

[dj-kenpo @ Sep 21st 2007 8:17PM]

sometimes when you play with electronics you forget that normal people don't know what a breadboard is.
I can see why they freaked out, I can also see though why she didn't expect anyone to honestly confuse a breadboard with 12 led's and a 9v battery as a bomb, the same as it would be hard to confuse a lightbulb with a bomb.

[bob @ Sep 21st 2007 7:46PM]

Sounds like she was suicidal. I really think she was hoping to get shot and become a martyr.

[hoohoo @ Sep 21st 2007 7:49PM]

"Here's our suggestion to authorities next time: just ask, "What's up with the bad art?"

which art are you refering to? the stupid persons bomb looking art, or the jackson pollack made up of body parts, blood, and brains scattered on the walls? cause surely when we become lienient on stpid hippies and their art, a real bomb that looks like bad art will go off.

[James Sonne @ Sep 21st 2007 9:02PM]

Exactly. This is why yelling "Fire!" in a crowded movie theater is illegal. It's NOT art.

She intentionally evaded security's questions about her shirt and the play-doh she was holding in her hand in order to make them believe she had something to "hide". She could have said "I'm an engineering student, it's just a gimmick. Here, I'll show you."

If she hadn't have had electronics on her, she would probably have been tazered, and deservingly so. When a security officer asks you a simple question, you can provide a simple answer.

[jsanders4484 @ Sep 22nd 2007 2:46PM]

@James Sonne Are you out of your mind? If the words "I'm an engineering student, it's just a gimmick. Here, I'll show you." had left her mouth, she would have been gunned down on the spot because they would have construed that as "Hey I'm going to blow myself up." Further more last time I checked we have this whole right to not incriminate ones self. Kinda means you don't have to answer anything they ask you unless you want to. Granted it might have been wise to say it's just showing off her nerdiness, she didn't have to. As for the Maj. Pare's statement about being disgusted that someone would wear such a thing? What the hell? It's a nerd statement. LOTS of people do it.

Airport security agents need to be thoroughly screened before they should even be given the job. Not to mention they should be properly trained on how to spot an explosive device. Most of the airport security personnel I've encountered were incompetent morons who couldn't differentiate an explosive device from an external hard drive. (I didn't appreciate being escorted from the check point because some idiot isn't up to date on modern technology.)

[rex @ Sep 21st 2007 7:50PM]

Easy. The Government is using these things to see how responsive the police and other authorities are when certain occasions arise.. Just like that thing in Austrailia where a comedy show did some kind of stunt and passed security.. That right there would receive a failing grade as opposed to the situation that happened in Boston where things basically went well.

[Boynamedsue @ Sep 21st 2007 7:50PM]

the question shouldn't be "would you think it was a bomb."

but "would you be stupid enough to wear it into an airport."

I was packing cheese in my carry on and had to wonder if the TSA might shoot me over it.

[manuks @ Sep 24th 2007 5:32PM]

ohhhh, man.. did anyone here know anyone that died on 9/11?? anyone here from boston and knew someone that died on 9/11? these airport scares don't happen all that often here AT ALL.. some of you understand, but others are blowing this (no pun intended) WAY out of proportion.. you don't get stopped by security all that much at logan airport.. an incident even remotely like this has happened MAYBE 10 times in the last 6 or 7 years.. like someone said earlier, if this future engineer from the most prestigious engineering school in the world had somehow created some sort of new bomb made of that material, security DIDN'T REACT, and she had blown 26 people up, EVEN IF SHE WASN'T BOARDING A PLANE, then the city and country would be in uproars because security was too lenient.. again, this happens like twice a year while 100,000 people go in and out of that airport.. THEY'RE NOT FREAKING OVERREACTING, THEY'RE PROTECTING US FROM THE UNKNOWN AND UNEXPECTED.. and if you say that real terrorists don't show their bombs, then ok, i guess from now on real terrorists SHOULD just wear bombs above their clothing, because then security will just say "hey, it's not like they'd wear it out in the open like that".. jeez people.. security wasn't tight enough in '01, and now it's too tight.. no one's happy

[Chris Aubeck @ Sep 21st 2007 8:05PM]

I wouldn't say the airport staff reacted incorrectly. If I saw someone with wires, lights and a battery hanging on their clothing at an airport, it would bother me too.

Wearing a wired-up circuit board to an airport is like approaching bank staff with a rifle-like object under your arm.

Never underestimate the depths of human stupidity.