JFK alarm caused by intruder's 'mistake'
Source: Agencies |
January 19, 2010, Tuesday
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A MAN returning from Haiti who walked through a restricted door and set off an alarm that led to the evacuation of a terminal at John F Kennedy International Airport simply went the wrong way, his attorney said on Sunday.
"He just walked through the wrong door," said defense attorney Scott Dufault, who declined to comment further when reached by phone at his office following his client's arraignment.
The security breach on Saturday afternoon delayed dozens of flights and caused headaches for hundreds of travelers who had to exit the terminal and wait for hours while police combed the building. Passengers were then re-screened by Transportation Security Administration officers. The incident came less than two weeks after a security breach at nearby Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
The man, Jules Paul Bouloute, told police he went through the door by mistake, an official familiar with the investigation into the security breach said on Sunday. The official was not authorized to comment publicly on the case against the Brooklyn man.
Bouloute, 57, was arraigned on Sunday on charges including first-degree criminal tampering and third-degree criminal trespass, said Helen Peterson, a spokeswoman for the Queens district attorney. He didn't enter a plea and was released without bail. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted on the most serious charge.
Prosecutors allege that he went through a door that was clearly marked as restricted.
"As a result of the defendant's actions, thousands of people were required to evacuate and to be re-screened by TSA, causing substantial delays in the airlines' schedules," District Attorney Richard Browne said.
The incident is the third evacuation in five months at airports that serve New York City.
A Rutgers University graduate student from China, Jiang Haisong, 28, was charged last week with trespassing in the January 3 breach at Newark airport. Flights were grounded for hours and passengers were re-screened while air safety officials searched for a man who had walked through the exit of a security checkpoint.
In August, a terminal at LaGuardia was evacuated after police tackled a disturbed man who was carrying a device that looked like a bomb but turned out to be harmless.
"He just walked through the wrong door," said defense attorney Scott Dufault, who declined to comment further when reached by phone at his office following his client's arraignment.
The security breach on Saturday afternoon delayed dozens of flights and caused headaches for hundreds of travelers who had to exit the terminal and wait for hours while police combed the building. Passengers were then re-screened by Transportation Security Administration officers. The incident came less than two weeks after a security breach at nearby Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
The man, Jules Paul Bouloute, told police he went through the door by mistake, an official familiar with the investigation into the security breach said on Sunday. The official was not authorized to comment publicly on the case against the Brooklyn man.
Bouloute, 57, was arraigned on Sunday on charges including first-degree criminal tampering and third-degree criminal trespass, said Helen Peterson, a spokeswoman for the Queens district attorney. He didn't enter a plea and was released without bail. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted on the most serious charge.
Prosecutors allege that he went through a door that was clearly marked as restricted.
"As a result of the defendant's actions, thousands of people were required to evacuate and to be re-screened by TSA, causing substantial delays in the airlines' schedules," District Attorney Richard Browne said.
The incident is the third evacuation in five months at airports that serve New York City.
A Rutgers University graduate student from China, Jiang Haisong, 28, was charged last week with trespassing in the January 3 breach at Newark airport. Flights were grounded for hours and passengers were re-screened while air safety officials searched for a man who had walked through the exit of a security checkpoint.
In August, a terminal at LaGuardia was evacuated after police tackled a disturbed man who was carrying a device that looked like a bomb but turned out to be harmless.
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