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| Saudi traveller sprays cologne, sparks terror scare 2003-02-24 11:00:08 |
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Saudi Arabian traveler sparked a scare at Philadelphia International Airport on Wednesday when he innocently sprayed three guards with cologne while trying to demonstrate that the liquid wasn\'t dangerous.
FBI spokeswoman Linda Vizi said the 22-year-old student was detained and questioned, then released hours later after chemical tests confirmed that the vapors were harmless.
\"He was here legally. All his papers were in order. His flight plans were in order. No federal law was violated. He was released,\" Vizi said. \"He missed his flight to Europe.\"
The incident, however, set the city\'s anti-terrorism machine into full gear.
The three security screeners who were spritzed with the cologne as the student passed through a checkpoint at around 12:30 a.m. were rushed to Methodist Hospital.
Hospital officials, unsure whether they had a biological attack on their hands, ordered a full quarantine. Ambulances inbound to the emergency room were diverted to other hospitals. Patients and staff who had contact with the guards were quarantined for nearly three hours.
\"We didn\'t know what the substance was,\" said hospital spokeswoman Nan Myers.
A fire department hazardous materials team finally gave the all-clear signal at around 4:30 a.m. after analyzing the cologne bottle.
Initially, even the screeners themselves didn\'t consider the incident worth reporting.
The student, whose name was withheld by authorities, was allowed to pass through a security checkpoint unmolested, Vizi said. But moments later the screeners had second thoughts about the sweet-smelling spray, called the student back to the checkpoint and called in the police, she said.
Airport spokesman Mark Pesce said flights weren\'t disrupted by the incident, and no one was evacuated from the terminal.
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