FBI tests show shoes contained explosives

By Jay Lindsay

Associated Press

BOSTON — Preliminary FBI tests found "functional" explosives in the sneakers that a passenger tried to ignite aboard a Boeing 767 jetliner, and the man was charged Sunday with the federal crime of assaulting a flight crew.

He was listed in court papers Sunday as Richard C. Reid, the name on his British passport. French authorities identified him as a Sri Lankan named Tariq Raja. In London, Scotland Yard said they believed the suspect was a British national.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Sunday ordered airlines and airports to guard against passengers boarding planes with explosives hidden in their shoes. Technology that detects traces of explosives on carry-on baggage can also be used to check passengers’ shoes.

Reid, 28, was charged Sunday in a federal criminal complaint with intimidation or assault of a flight crew causing interference with their duties. He faces a maximum 20 years in prison if convicted.

An initial court appearance was set this morning, the FBI said. Reid was being held under constant watch Sunday in a jail in Plymouth, according to Mike Seele, spokesman for the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department.

French police opened an investigation Sunday to determine how Reid eluded increased security measures at Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris, where American Airlines Flight 63 took off Saturday.

During the flight, the suspect, who was sitting behind the wing in the coach section of the Boeing 767, was seen apparently trying to light his shoes with a match, according to an FBI affidavit. Two flight attendants scuffled with Reid before other passengers helped subdue him, the FBI said.

The plane, carrying 183 passengers and 14 crew members, was escorted to Logan International Airport by two F-15 fighter jets.

Since Sept. 11, some pilots have urged passengers to attack anyone who tries to interfere with the operation of a plane. On Oct. 8, Edward Coburn, 31, was subdued by passengers after he tried to storm the cockpit of an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles.

The U.S. Attorney’s office in Boston said Sunday that preliminary FBI tests showed "two functional improvised explosive devices" in the man’s shoes, described by a passenger as hightop sneakers.

"There will be further tests to determine exactly what he had," said a federal law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Logan officials described the substance as consistent with the military plastic explosive C-4.

French authorities said Reid had tried to board the same flight Friday but was turned away after raising suspicions.

French police said the suspect — who also has gone by a third name, Abdel Rahim — was given permission to board after intensive questioning, but by then had missed Friday’s flight. He had only one small bag with him and said he was traveling to Antigua to visit relatives, police said.