Passengers sniff out man missed by TSA screeners

TSA officials are scrambling to explain the latest bad screening incident, which has a distinct odor to it:  A man boarding an airline fight with invalid tickets and boarding passes.

The man, identified as Olajide Noibi, boarded a Virgin America flight from New York City to Los Angeles with a ticket and boarding pass for the previous day. It was also in someone else’s name, according to the FBI. He was questioned after the flight and arrested for being a “stowaway.”

The FBI said Noibi has both US and Nigerian citizenships. He is a self-described missionary and frequent flyer.

The FBI said that after his arrest, Noibi pulled out two boarding passes not in his name, and more than 10 other boarding passes in various names were found in his bags.

A federal judge declined to set bond for Noibi, who could face five years in prison if convicted on the felony charge.

Noibi called attention to himself when other passengers complained about his body odor.

Security experts said bad screening by Transportation Security Administration agents allowed Noibi to pass through checkpoints and reach the departure gate.

"The Noibi incident raises some very troubling questions about our aviation security system," former Federal Aviation Administration security director Billie Vincent told the AP. He added:

"How did this individual evade detection at the multilayered TSA security system?”

Aviation security consultant Doug Laird said "The TSA is at fault, because he never should have made it past the checkpoint,"

But he added the gate agent at Virgin was also at fault because the passenger should not have made it past him or her.

The TSA blog had these rebuttals:

“With regards to this incident, due to the ongoing FBI investigation, we're extremely limited in what we can say – but I can tell you that every passenger that passes through security checkpoints is subject to many layers of security including thorough physical screening.” It went on:
 

“In this case, TSA did not properly authenticate the passenger’s documentation. That said, it’s important to note that this individual received the same thorough physical screening as other passengers, including being screened by advanced imaging technology (body scanner). As we continue to review this particular matter, disciplinary action is being considered for the security officers involved and all appropriate actions will be taken.” 

Stuff-about.com said:

“One thing we can say about TSA's security measures is that they continue to excel at prohibiting the transport on your person of materials related to personal hygiene. This has been made evident in this case as Noibi brought attention to himself with his repugnant, cabin-filling odor which ultimately played in his capture when passengers complained to flight staff about it's prowess.” The blogger added sarcastically:

“TSA will no doubt claim their prohibition of  hygiene related materials, one of which being deodorant (in certain amounts), was a proactive measure to stink the occasional stowaway out of hiding.”

By David Wilkening