FBI issues warning

Seemingly ordinary items can conceal small knives.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The FBI is urging airport security personnel to watch for dozens of seemingly everyday items -- from hairbrushes to crucifixes -- that can conceal knives or other weapons terrorists could use to hijack an airliner.
Many cost less than $20, are readily available and can be difficult to detect using airport screening devices, according to an FBI statement accompanying the 89-page catalog obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.
The catalog has been converted into a compact disc and circulated to airport screeners and law enforcement around the country amid heightened vigilance intended to prevent another suicide hijacking by Al-Qaida.
"It was designed to raise security awareness for law enforcement and airline security," FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said.
U.S. law enforcement officials previously have warned that Al-Qaida might use improvised or easily obtained substances to mount attacks, especially chemicals that are dangerous when mixed. What makes the FBI weapons list unusual is that most of the concealable knives, pepper spray devices and other items are inexpensive and can be purchased from manufacturers in the United States and other countries.
Concealing weapons
Knives can be concealed in belt buckles, hairbrushes and combs, working cigarette lighters, crucifixes, lipstick cases, canes, umbrellas, key chains, pens, mock credit cards and money clips. While many of the blades are small, others can be at least 4 inches long, and some are sword-length.
Among the more exotic items is a deck of fake playing cards made of metal, with sharp edges, that can be thrown with deadly results. One fake key made in Japan conceals a knife and a smaller key that could be used to escape from handcuffs.
One device, called a "shuckra," is a metal tube containing a wire that, when locked into place, becomes a hardened spike that could be used as a dagger.
There are false name-brand soup, hairspray, shaving cream and cleanser cans with hidden compartments -- the FBI calls them "can safes" -- where weapons or dangerous substances could be placed. Fake books with hollowed centers are used as safes.
Each item in the catalog is shown with a ruler to give security personnel a sense of scale and an X-ray image of how it might appear when viewed in a screening device at an airport or building entrance.
The FBI's collection was purchased through catalogs, at knife shows and through other commercial outlets. Officials said none of the items were confiscated from passengers.
The 19 men who hijacked four jetliners Sept. 11, 2001, and crashed them in New York City, Washington and southwestern Pennsylvania used common box cutters as weapons. The FBI catalog is circulating at a time of increased security at airports based on intelligence collected from captured Al-Qaida operatives and Al-Qaida safe houses about plans for another attack using the nation's air travel system.
International airports
The United States has sent aviation experts to Iraq and major capitals in Europe and Asia to assess the security of commercial airports, The New York Times reported late Wednesday in its online edition.
The U.S. investigators are determining whether the airports can be defended against shoulder-fired missiles, the Times reported.
The Transportation Security Administration forbids air travelers from carrying sharp objects into an aircraft cabin. The agency bans such items as box cutters, metal scissors with pointed tips, meat cleavers, swords and ice picks.
But the FBI catalog notes there are many other razor knives and penknives that are used in construction and other businesses that could be just as deadly in the hands of a terrorist. Even plastic lettuce knives are included.
"Each of these tools was designed to cut and is fully functional in that respect," the FBI statement says. "Whether used to cut paper, cardboard or other material, these knives should be treated as potentially dangerous weapons."
The Homeland Security Department on Tuesday warned travelers to expect greater scrutiny of cameras, cell phones and other electronics because of evidence Al-Qaida had experimented with using cameras to house stun guns or explosives.
The government also recently tightened visa rules for international travelers passing through U.S. airports after warnings in late July that Al-Qaida teams might try to hijack international flights.
The FBI concealed weapons catalog is unrelated to these latest warnings. Officials say a worker at the FBI lab in Quantico, Va., began the catalog shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks so that security personnel would be aware of the vast array of dangerous items that can be legally purchased and could easily escape notice.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.