By: Agencies
December 6, 2004 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paris: Plastic explosives were mistakenly loaded onto a plane at a Paris airport after security officials lost track of it during an exercise, police said.
Around 150 gm of explosive were slipped into the bag of a passenger during sniffer dog training at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.
The bag ended up on one of 90 flights leaving at the time, and police are now trying to track it down.
They stress the explosive is “no more dangerous than a bar of chocolateâ€.
But airlines, airports and police forces around the world have been alerted.
It was a routine exercise that went wrong. An embarrassment but not, French police insist, dangerous.
The package of explosive was put in a bag at the airport on Friday to see if police dogs could detect it.
Someone though took their eye off the ball and the baggage handler unwittingly put the bag on a plane.
Police say they do not know which plane the bag ended up on; about 90 flights were leaving the airport at the time.
Police insist the package of explosives is no more harmful than a chocolate bar — it has no detonator and does not react to movement, shock or even fire.
Cheers,
White Cap