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Sandra Yi ReportingKarl Schmae: "Certainly this was an intentional attempt to breach security."
Airport screeners caught a man trying to smuggle weapons onto his flight at Salt Lake International. Federal authorities say the man had stashed several sharp objects in his carry-on bag. They arrested him yesterday.
Airport screeners frequently confiscate prohibited items, like nail clippers and files. But the FBI says what makes this case different is the suspect intentionally tried to evade security. The man was caught yesterday while going through a screening point in Terminal 1. He was scheduled to be on a Continental Flight and was headed back to his native Peru. But his trip was cut short when screeners noticed an opaque object in his carry-on bag.
They did a hand search and found kitchen scissors, two box cutters and razor blades. The items were in a package, wrapped in foil and duct tape.
Karl Schmae: "Obviously, these items are dangerous. They're similar to the ones used by the 9/11 hijackers. They were in his carry-on bag, which means he would have had access to those on the aircraft."
Federal agents arrested 65-year old Ruber Dulong-Montoro. He's from Peru, but had been staying with family here for about three months. Authorities say this case has no direct ties to terrorism, still, they didn't want to take any chances.
They're investigating if the suspect intended to harm people or if the package was for someone else. But the FBI says, at this point it looks like this was just a case of poor judgment. Dulong-Montoro told authorities that he was trying to take the items back to Peru. He knew they were prohibited, but someone told him he could sneak them past security by wrapping them in foil and duct tape. He quickly found out that's not true.
He was charged with carrying a weapon on an aircraft. If convicted he could face up to 10 years in prison.
