Student shows up air security

2003-10-21 14:36

Washington - A college student sent an e-mail to US authorities saying he had placed box cutters and other illegal items aboard two specific Southwest Airlines flights, but it still took authorities nearly five weeks to locate them on the planes.

An FBI affidavit obtained on Monday by AP said Nathaniel Heatwole, 20, told agents he went through normal security procedures at airports in Baltimore and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and was able to carry the forbidden items onto the planes in small plastic bags. Once aboard, he hid the bags in a compartment in the rear lavatories of two planes.

September 12 and 15

Heatwole first breached security at Raleigh-Durham airport on September 12 - the day after the two-year anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. He did it again on September 15 at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, the affidavit said.

The bags contained box cutters, modeling clay simulated to look like plastic explosives, matches and bleach hidden in sunscreen bottles. Inside were notes with details about when and where the items were carried aboard. They were signed "3891925," which is Heatwole's birthday - 5/29/1983 - backwards.

On September 15, the Transportation Security Administration received an e-mail from Heatwole stating he had "information regarding six security breaches" at the Raleigh-Durham and Baltimore-Washington airports between February 7 and September 14, the FBI affidavit said.

"The writer stated that he smuggled several items on his person and some in his carry-on bag," the affidavit said. Precise details

The e-mail provided precise details of where the plastic bags were hidden - right down to the exact dates and flight numbers - and even provided Heatwole's name and telephone number. It's unclear whether Heatwole actually hid items on four other planes.

The e-mail author also stated that he was aware his actions were against the law and that he was aware of the potential consequences for his actions, and that his actions were an 'act of civil disobedience with the aim of improving public safety for the air-travelling public,' the affidavit said.

The e-mail was signed, "Sincerely, Nat Heatwole".

The affidavit does not say what was done about the e-mail after it was received in September. The bags containing box cutters and other items were not discovered until last Thursday night, after a lavatory on one of the planes had maintenance problems and workers found them.

The TSA did not send the e-mail to the FBI until last Friday. FBI agents quickly tracked down Heatwole and interviewed him.

The TSA did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment on the affidavit.

Heatwole was scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court in Baltimore on Monday afternoon.

Federal authorities planned to charge him with bringing a dangerous weapon aboard an aircraft, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

- AP