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AIRPORT
police Thursday seized four pieces of shapely water
glasses, the kind sold on sidewalks containing colorful
decorations in clear liquid and innocuous enough to be
displayed in homes, especially during the holidays.
The
glasses were in the luggage of a passenger where one of
the glasses broke accidentally. Airport safety
inspectors were surprised the liquid smelled of
kerosene.
They
immediately seized the items and interrogated the
passenger, whose identity was not released pending
completion of an investigation to find the source of the
“explosive” crystal glasses.
Angel
Atutubo, the assistant manager for security and
emergency services, reported to airport general manager
Alfonso Cusi that each glass contains 600 ml of
kerosene, which could cause a major disaster if
accidentally ignited while in flight.
The
passenger told investigators he bought the crystals in a
diplomatic store in Manila, which the authorities did
not also name, for about P70 each.
Atutubo
said they would coordinate with the foreign affairs
department protocol office to determine the source of
the crystals, the liquid content of which is classified
as a prohibited air-transport item.
At the
same time, he alerted the security unit to ensure that
other similar decorative items with unknown liquids are
not allowed aboard airplanes.
An
airline manager, who requested not to be identified,
said he was surprised to know the cheap price of the
items, saying he expected them to cost more because of
the artwork involved and suspects that the passenger is
not telling the truth. |
