"Journalist Poster Child For Stupid" ???

[David]

I think this guy just might be the biggest jerk journalist in history!

Imagine taking a GRENADE as a souvenir!

Poor airport security guard -- it had to "eat it" because of this reporter putz!

Here's the link to the story:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/latestnewsstory.cfm?storyID=3452346&thesection=news&thesubsection=world

Journalist's souvenir grenade kills airports security guard

02.05.2003 8.27 am

AMMAN - A grenade, carried from Iraq as a war souvenir by a Japanese journalist, exploded at Amman airport in Jordan on Thursday, killing a security officer and injuring several other people, a security source said.

"They opened the suitcase and it exploded and killed one security officer," the source told Reuters, adding that the explosion happened next to the luggage-screening machine.

The journalist, who was travelling through Amman en route back to Tokyo, was slightly hurt in the blast along with three people who were nearby.

Information Minister Mohammad al-Adwan told the state news agency Petra the grenade exploded as the security officer was examining it. The X-ray machine had detected a metal object in the journalist's luggage.

"The journalist brought this explosive as a war relic," Adwan was quoted as saying.

The journalist, who was detained after the incident, was taking a flight to Cairo from the Jordanian capital where he was due to travel onwards to Japan.

Authorities tightened security around Alia international airport and began a full investigation of the blast.

******

Jerk! Jerk! Jerk!

:banghead:

 

[4v50 Gary]

Our GIs did the same thing back in WW I & II. Lots of grenades, mortar rounds and even MGs were brought back as trophies. The urge to "souvenir" hunt is not exclusive to GIs and as kids, well, we would do not better. My only regret is that the wrong dude got blown up. A leftist media reporter is no loss to society. Unfortunately, some poor security guy got it from this idjit's action.

 

[PATH]

Proof positive again that there are very recessive genes in the pool out there.

 

[George Hill]

 

[Standing Wolf]

A grenade, carried from Iraq as a war souvenir by a Japanese journalist, exploded at Amman airport in Jordan on Thursday...

I have a sneaking suspicion someone pulled the pin to see whether it was real.

 

[J Miller]

I have a sneaking suspicion someone pulled the pin to see whether it was real.

Unfortunatly it was.

Besides the (I really can't think of a good non profane discriptive term) reporter who brought the grenade, the Security guard showed a bit of ignorance if he handled what could have been and was an explosive device.
If it went off because something in the suit case snagged it as he was opening it, and pulled the pin, then there was nothing he could have done.
But if the guard was actually handling it, then he showed a total lack of training and common sence.

If we are going to have airport security, then the guards should be trained to leave potential explosive devices untouched. Call for a bomb squad. Better to err on the side of caution, than get yourself and others killed.

 

[cool45auto]

:banghead:

 

[Archie]

"Negligent" discharge?

I'll admit, I do not know what kind of grenade this was. But I know a little about US grenades... (recent military grads, back me up or correct me.)

The pin on a fragmentation grenade is intentionally hard to pull. It's the only thing that keeps the fool thing from exploding until the user decides it is time. It is essentially a bent over cotter key with a ring for a handle. The idea one could "snag" the pin ring on a bit of clothing and pull it loose is pretty far-fetched.

In my experience, they have to be purposely pulled loose. This looks like a case where misdemeanor stupid turned into felony dumbass. And enough to go around; the reporter was goofy enough, I would expect a security guard in Jordan to identify and respect a hand grenade on the first try.

 

[capt_happypants]

Obviously, the journalist and the highly-trained security specialist forgot the First Rule of Hand Grenades:

"When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is NO longer your friend."

 

[foghornl]

"Another jug of Chlorine for the Gene Pool, Please".

 

[Don Gwinn]

Archie, you're right--EXCEPT. (There's always an exception.)

U.S. soldiers in Vietnam used to straighten the pins so they'd be easier to pull. According to legend (could be true, I just never verified it) this occasionally led to accidents on patrols when rings would snag on briars and branches.

If someone straightened the pin, it could conceivably have gotten tugged out as he put it in and packed. Then, when unpacked, the handle could have been released.