A man attempted to board a plane at Tampa International Airport on Sunday with a box cutter in a hollowed-out book. From Tampa Bay Online:
TAMPA - A 21-year-old Clearwater man was arrested at Tampa International Airport this weekend after security personnel found a box cutter in a hollowed-out book, authorities said.
Benjamin Baines Jr.
If convicted, Baines faces up to 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for a federal charge of attempting to board an airplane with a concealed dangerous weapon. He is currently serving a 30 day sentence after pleading guilty Monday to a state misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon.
About 7:30 a.m. Sunday, airport security ran Benjamin Baines Jr.'s backpack through an X-ray machine and saw the image of a box cutter, according to a report from the Transportation Security Administration.
When searching the backpack, a security officer found a book titled "Fear Itself." The book was hollowed out, and the box cutter was inside.
After Baines was read his rights, he said his cousin had cut away the pages to make the hollow section in the book. Later, reports state, he said he had hollowed it out himself to hide money and marijuana from his roommates.
Baines told officers he was moving to Las Vegas and forgot the cutter was in the book.
Officers found books in the backpack titled "Muhammad in the Bible," "The Prophet's Prayer" and "The Noble Qur'an." He also had a copy of the Quran and the Bible.
Several sheets of paper in the backpack included rap lyrics that referred to police, narcotics, weapons and killing. Baines told officers he is a rapper who writes his own lyrics and that rap music writers need to "play the part," the report states.
. . . . He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and booked into Orient Road Jail. At his first appearance in court Monday, Baines pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, according to an employee with the Hillsborough County clerk of court. He remained in Orient Road Jail today.
The U.S. Attorney's Office also filed a federal charge of attempting to board an aircraft with a concealed dangerous weapon. The federal charge against Baines was filed Sunday but was not announced until today, said Steve Cole, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa.
Cole said Baines will be arrested by U.S. marshals upon his release from jail on the state charge.
What do you think? Is Baines a would-be jihadist? A publicity seeker? A careless fellow who's been hanging out with bad company? Here are some of the comments at Tampa Bay Online:
Posted by ( bo1921 ) on February 21, 2008 at 8:12 a.m.
"Baines told officers he is a rapper who writes his own lyrics and that rap music writers need to "play the part," the report states."
Well, he's playing the part now. Hope he likes the part.
Posted by ( digidonny ) on February 21, 2008 at 8:33 a.m.
Give the poor guy a break! The box cutter most likely was used to cut the book and left there. Use common sense US marshals - no terrorist would be this stupid!
Posted by ( dericwise ) on February 21, 2008 at 8:49 a.m.
"Officers found books in the backpack titled "Muhammad in the Bible," "The Prophet's Prayer" and "The Noble Qur'an." He also had a copy of the Quran and the Bible." ......
But I'm sure the boxcutter was just an honest mistake. Right.
Posted by ( lutsdelf ) on February 21, 2008 at 8:52 a.m.
"use common sense US marshals - no terrorist would be this stupid!"
Hey digidonny, genus, they caught the first world trade center bomber back in the early 90s when he returned to the car rental office to get his deposit back on the truck that he had used as a bomb to try and blow up the trade center!!! Terrorists and posters can both be very stupid.
Posted by ( mrush ) on February 21, 2008 at 8:59 a.m.
I agree. Give the poor guy a break. Like digidonny said - He's stupid. Besides, I do this to all my books, too. And I'm forever forgetting which book I left my boxcutters in. I have to go through all of my books to find my boxcutter. Allah forbid that I cut out the pages in a book, leave my box cutters in it, and then take it on an airplane to try to read it! Have you ever tried to read a hollowed out book? You only get about half of the story. Very upsetting! And then to have US Marshalls go all infidel on you just because you couldn't remember where you left your favorite boxcutters!
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