Christian Boncorps, Drunk Air France Passenger, Pretends Name Is Bin Laden At JFK Airport
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Of course, it wasn't actually bin Laden, but Christian Boncorps, a drunk Yonkers man with a grey beard, who approached the ticket counter to get a boarding pass for his Paris-bound flight, the New York Post reports.
The ticket agent asked what Boncorps had in his bag, thinking he might have extra alcohol for the long-haul flight. That's when the obviously-intoxicated Boncorps said he his name was bin Laden and he had a bomb in his page.
The next part of the story gets...bothersome. The ticket clerk brought Boncorps to the TSA to get a regular screening (no word if the agent issued him a boarding pass or not).
TSA agents then took 40 minutes to decide to call the cops, at which point Boncorps was finished with security and was putting his shoes back on (his luggage was already on the flight).
A spokeswoman for the TSA told the Post: "TSA continues to look into the circumstances surrounding this matter. However, travelers can be assured that every TSA and airport employee is trained to take any and all threats seriously and notify law enforcement to ensure the safety of the airport and air travelers."
Paul Nunziato, president of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, had some harsher words for the TSA. "We got lucky that this passenger wasn't a serious threat. Countless lives were placed in jeopardy by the TSA's failure to follow its own security protocols. If the statements made by the passenger warranted calling the police, then that call must be made immediately and before the passenger entered the screening point."
Boncorps was charged with filing a false report and later plead guilty to disorderly conduct in a Queens court, for which he was charged a $250 fine.
It's been a while (just kidding!) since a drunk passenger got involved in air travel. In April a drunk passenger from Dallas to Paris forced an American Airlines flight to make an emergency landing in Chicago.
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To all you people calling for this man's head, you should be ashamed of yourselves.
He was obviously drunk. People don't always say the right things when they're drunk. Sometimes they get boisterous and stupid. This is no reason to feed him to the wolves.
A REAL terrorist wouldn't tell anyone they have a bomb. People who are obviously intoxicated and joke around about having bombs should probably be screened more carefully, and fined for wasting everyone's time, but they shouldn't be arrested and have their lives ruined over something stupid said after having too many beers.
Think about it. It can happen to anyone.
TSA. Christ. A whole group of unemployable people if it wasn't for the TSA. And these are the idiots who protect our shores. Frightening.
May 04 2011 at 3:01 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down ReplySo they used their brains, they're not idiots ffs.
May 04 2011 at 12:45 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyAnd yet I'll bet every little kid that seemed nervous was put through a full body scan in case he had a bomb. I am sure glad that the TSA is on top of it and doing their job protecting us from the bad guys :-)
May 03 2011 at 5:04 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI've been in the airport many times and have seen the quality of the security people that work there. I, personally, had a problem. A text message was sent to me in error, regarding a b*mb and I took it to the security person at the desk and showed it to her. She said "what do you expect me to do?" I said "call the Phila. PD, you idiot." She did, they came and they took the info from my phone and acted upon it. Fortunately, it turned out to be a joke sent to my phone # in error on New Year's Day, but it could have been worse. Anything suspicious has to be acted upon.
May 03 2011 at 3:18 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replywhy didnt they just shoot him and drop him out in the ocean too?????????????????
May 03 2011 at 2:23 PM Report abuse Permalink +4 rate up rate down ReplySkippy, you are sooooo right, and the landing on the moon is a hoax as well. I always knew the earth was flat, and everybody is lying about that, too.
May 03 2011 at 2:19 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyNot funny..ban him from flying forever.
May 03 2011 at 2:19 PM Report abuse Permalink +2 rate up rate down ReplyJesus, a drunk and a stupid joke. How unusual?
Be real folks, the guy should have been sent home to sober up and nobody should have been fired or reprimanded. I would hope the screenings would have enough sense not to make a big deal out of this incident like you folks are.
And the ticketing agents should be FIRED! If they are instructed to take all threats seriously then why did the passenger get as far as the TSA agent. It sounds like no one did their job!
May 03 2011 at 1:45 PM Report abuse Permalink +7 rate up rate down ReplyHot 5 Deals
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