Just ahead of the London Olympics, where British security is already tight, an 11-year-old boy managed to evade five airport security checkpoints to board a plane traveling from England to Italy with no money, no ticket, and no passport.
The boy was shopping with his mother in Manchester when he wandered off and somehow navigated the three miles from the shopping center to the airport. After that he tagged on to a family and followed them through the security checkpoints. Nobody asked the boy for identification or a ticket at any point in his trip.
Officials were only alerted to the boy when other passengers on the plane saw that he was traveling alone and became suspicious. He was returned to England on another flight the next day.
Security officials in England are attempting to discover how this managed to happen, and what measures they need to take to prevent something like this from happening again in the future. Tension is especially high because of the difficulty the U.K. has had trying to find proper security for the Olympics. This is not the kind of news organizers wanted just days before the world's attention descends on London.
Quotes
"It is obviously quite an exceptional thing that has happened. But we need to learn from it and then take the necessary steps to make sure it doesn't happen in the future." - Justine Greening, British transportation secretary.
Warm Up Questions
1. Why is there so much security at the airport?
2. What types of security do you go through to board a plane?
3. What documents do you need at an airport?
Discussion Questions
1. Why do you think this event made international news?
2. Do you think that this event exposes a dangerous hole in airport security? Why or why not?
3. Do you think this event will affect airport security at the London Olympics? If so, how?
Additional Resources
Airport Body Scanners: Security or Invasion of Privacy?
Are the Olympics Connecting with Young People?
