Men With Knives Stopped At Atlanta Airport

By Cernig

Two men with deliberately concealed knives were stopped at Atlanta's international airport on Oct. 25th, the AP reports. But you'll look in vain for the usual rightwing ZOMG scare-mongering -

Authorities said Chhaganbhai Patel, 60, was stopped at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Oct. 25 after he was found with a number of knives including a martial arts-style knife.

Shakarabhai Patel, 64, who was traveling with him, had already made it through security and onto the Delta Air Lines jet, which was bound for New York and then to India, authorities said. The plane was brought back to the gate and police said a box cutter and $5,000 cash were found in the second man's bag.

Both have been charged with state violations of carrying concealed weapons, according to an Atlanta police report.

FBI spokesman Stephen Emmett said Thursday that federal agents interviewed the two men through an interpreter and determined the incident was not terrorism-related. No federal charges were brought. He declined to explain why the men had the knives.

Atlanta police Lt. Jim Corlino told Atlanta television station WAGA that the way the knives were packed ``was an intentional concealment.''

``The (martial arts) knife was a large, Chinese-style fighting knife,'' Corlino said. Authorities said they also found 20 small knives wrapped in tin foil and razor blades hidden in the battery compartment of a toy car. The police report said the man indicated he wrapped the knives to keep them from cutting his clothes.

Where are the rightwing "terror watchers" on this one? Normally, if someone called Hussain farts in line at airport security then Michelle and the rest are sniffing at it. Even if the report says the incident wasn't terror-related they'll suggest it was. Could it be because the surname Patel is undoubtably not Muslim and "Hindufacists" just doesn't have the same ring to it?