Las Vegas Sun

November 9, 2009

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Editorial: How did this happen?

Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2003 | 9:07 a.m.

A 20-year-old Maryland resident is facing federal charges after hiding box cutters, matches, bleach and simulated explosives on four airplanes from February to September. And the Transportation Security Administration is facing questions from the whole nation about how this could have happened.

Nathaniel Travis Heatwole admits he left the materials on the plane as an "act of civil disobedience." His actions came to light when an airline repairman discovered one of his surprises and security officials responded by reviewing their e-mail database. They found that on Sept. 15, Heatwole had informed them of his actions and had included his name and phone number. So we have a situation where the TSA missed not only the potentially dangerous materials, but also an e-mail that surely should have raised a red flag.

Heatwole is facing charges, as well he should be. But we hope that no one loses sight of what he exposed -- a gaping hole in airline security. Authorities should understand that and have a candid chat with him about how he did it. He would likely cooperate, an act that the court should take into consideration when hearing his case.

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