An Afghan refugee was stopped on a US-bound flight with explosive materials in his luggage. The refugee traveled from Kabul to Ramstein Air Base with the explosives in his possession.
He was described as a contractor for the US government.
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Just The News reported:
A male Afghan refugee who was departing the Ramstein Air Base in Germany for the United States was detained Monday after it was discovered during pre-flight screening that he had blasting caps and other explosives materials in his carry-on luggage, three U.S. officials told Just the News.
The man, who was born in the early 1990s and an Afghan citizen, was working as contractor for the U.S. government when he was evacuated, and officials believe the materials were related to his work and not terrorism, officials said.
Nonetheless, the man was placed on a restricted list and prevented from traveling to the U.S., according to a Transportation Security Administration summary of the incident obtained by Just the News. “Subject has been moved to a ‘red list’ and will not travel to the U.S.” and U.S. air marshals were advised, the TSA memo stated.
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Screeners, including a member of the German military assisting the U.S. at the Air Force base in Germany, found five blasting caps, one igniter switch, a “def cord” and one shock tube when the refugee was apprehended late Monday morning German time, according to officials and the TSA summary report.
“TSA advised that during the physical search (full open) of the individuals baggage a German military member identified a suspicious item in the baggage,” the TSA memo stated. The explosives were taken outside the hangar, an ordinance team was summoned and the man removed from the entry line from the flight, the memo stated.
Source material can be found at this site.