They don't have WalMarts in Detroit?

Why would you ask someone to bring a pressure cooker from another country in their luggage? He's certainly a good uncle. With baggage fees what they are today I'd be hard pressed to find a relative that would bring me any kind of appliance

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/13/18232909-man-with-altered-saudi-passport-arrested-with-pressure-cooker-at-detroit-airport?lite

A man traveling with an altered Saudi Arabian passport was in federal court Monday after a pressure cooker was discovered in his luggage at the Detroit airport over the weekend.

The man, identified in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court as Hussain Al Kwawahir, made his initial court appearance Monday on charges of altering a passport and lying to customs officials.

Two pressure cooker bombs were used in the attacks that killed three people and injured more than 250 others last month at the Boston Marathon.

Al Kwawahir, 33, wasn't charged with any terrorism-related offenses, however, and U.S. officials told NBC News they were handling the incident as simply a documents case.

The incident occurred Saturday at Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus, Mich., authorities said. When customs officials noticed that a page had been removed from Al Kwawahir's passport, they examined his luggage and found the pressure cooker, the complaint said.

Al Kwawahir first explained the pressure cooker by saying he'd bought it as a gift for his nephew, who he said was a student at the University of Toledo in Ohio, believing they weren't sold in the U.S. He then changed his story, saying his nephew had managed to buy a pressure cooker in the U.S. but that it had broken.

If it wasn't filled with explosives and nails... what is the story? Arab looking fellow smuggles cookware to avoid paying duty? Is that really news? Do you know how many times I've driven into Canada with soda bottles full of Vodka? Smuggling is just thrifty.

There aren't actually any Walmarts in Detroit proper, FWIW. Even coming from the west side, if it werent for the border crossing Canada has the closest Walmart. Then again, there are several in the Metro area between the airport and Toledo.

It's gotta suck to be brown.

I think it wasn't until a few years ago that there were any supermarkets in Detroit - Kroger / Aldi / farmer jack (remember them?) were all on the outskirts. Nothing but party stores in Detroit city limits. Its changed now.

Not just any cookware. A pressure cooker, like the Boston Bomber. And he was on a plane, just like 9/11. Why can't you stop asking questions and panic like everyone else.

Testing security response? Distracting TSA types from something else? Hoping for a fuss to portray as an overreaction based on racism or religious bigotry?

See Flying Imams

Altered passport and a changing story. I say put him on the plane back to where he came from. Be glad he didn't wind up in Gitmo under the W reign.

spitfirebill wrote: Altered passport and a changing story. I say put him on the plane back to where he came from. Be glad he didn't wind up in Gitmo under the W/Obama reign.

Fixed that for ya.

Detroit sounds lovely.

Did you hear that the DHS is buying up all the pressure cookers they can get their hands on? It's going to be really hard on the home canning folks this year.

waiting for the pressure cooker ban

Wal-Mart's strategy is to open stores in areas where there is a large potential market, i.e. people with money to spend. I ask you--where in Detroit would they find such a location?

fasted58 wrote: waiting for the pressure cooker ban

Sorry. Lawmakers are all trying to figure out how to ban 3D printers right now so no one can ever make anything dangerous.

1988RedT2 wrote: Wal-Mart's strategy is to open stores in areas where there is a large potential market, i.e. people with money to spend. I ask you--where in Detroit would they find such a location?

Wal-Mart Pawn Shop

1988RedT2 wrote: Did you hear that the DHS is buying up all the pressure cookers they can get their hands on? It's going to be really hard on the home canning folks this year.

Well, when the feds order 1.6 Billion pressure cookers, it puts the whole pressure cooker industry on its head and non of the citizens can then buy pressure cookers, creating a panic pressure cooker buying atmosphere. People line up 20 deep at Walmart on the days that pressure cookers arrive from the Distribution Center. You can get on email lists so that when a web retailer gets pressure cookers in stock, they will send you an email to let you know, but you better be able to click through, because the pressure cookers will be sold out in minutes.

Just remember, when pressure cookers are outlawed, only outlaws will have pressure cookers.

1988RedT2 wrote: Wal-Mart's strategy is to open stores in areas where there is a large potential market, i.e. people with money to spend. I ask you--where in Detroit would they find such a location?

There's a huge potential market and space in Detroit. The down town area is at 95% occupancy with lots of young professionals down there.

Wal-Mart are unfortunately looking at coming in close-ish to me at 12 mile and Southfield. Really dumb idea as that's already one of the busiest intersections around. It doesn't need the extra traffic.

The true story here is that if you say "I bought it for my nephew who didn't have one" and then "well, he had one but it broke, but this one is still for him" to the FBI then you have committed a crime. They're training us well to never talk to any law enforcement and never help in any investigation because if you do you're going to jail. Even if you were innocent of any crimes beforehand, just having spoken to the police when they asked you a question is reason enough to put you in jail.

I need to make sure my papers are in order for the next time I hit a checkpoint. Funny, I thought this was the stuff they told us was evil about the USSR.

In reply to Adrian_Thompson:

Oooops! My bad. I just figured the place was abandoned and all boarded up.

http://news.yahoo.com/detroit-broke-could-bankruptcy-lie-ahead-185859786.html

1988RedT2 wrote: In reply to Adrian_Thompson: Oooops! My bad. I just figured the place was abandoned and all boarded up. http://news.yahoo.com/detroit-broke-could-bankruptcy-lie-ahead-185859786.html

If the city goes bankrupt it doens't mean everyone will pack their bags and move out. Detroit in one form or another will continue to exist. But personaly with Wal-MArt, given a choice of going in and getting a widget for $1.00, I'll drive 2 miles further and happily pay $1.25 to avoide them.

Adrian_Thompson wrote:

1988RedT2 wrote: In reply to Adrian_Thompson: Oooops! My bad. I just figured the place was abandoned and all boarded up. http://news.yahoo.com/detroit-broke-could-bankruptcy-lie-ahead-185859786.html

If the city goes bankrupt it doens't mean everyone will pack their bags and move out. Detroit in one form or another will continue to exist. But personaly with Wal-MArt, given a choice of going in and getting a widget for $1.00, I'll drive 2 miles further and happily pay $1.25 to avoide them.

I'm totally with ya there. I avoid Wal-Mart.

What does this say about Detroit? They aren't even high class enough for a Walmart. WOW!

spitfirebill wrote: Altered passport and a changing story.

Meta-data.

1988RedT2 wrote:

Adrian_Thompson wrote:

1988RedT2 wrote: In reply to Adrian_Thompson: Oooops! My bad. I just figured the place was abandoned and all boarded up. http://news.yahoo.com/detroit-broke-could-bankruptcy-lie-ahead-185859786.html

If the city goes bankrupt it doens't mean everyone will pack their bags and move out. Detroit in one form or another will continue to exist. But personaly with Wal-MArt, given a choice of going in and getting a widget for $1.00, I'll drive 2 miles further and happily pay $1.25 to avoide them.

I'm totally with ya there. I avoid Wal-Mart.

the only thing I like about wal-mart are the rest rooms. With my intestines, when you gotta go, you gotta go. I would rather do it there

mad_machine wrote: the only thing I like about wal-mart are the rest rooms. With my intestines, when you gotta go, you gotta go. I would rather do it there

Target restrooms are much better.

mad_machine wrote:

1988RedT2 wrote:

Adrian_Thompson wrote:

1988RedT2 wrote: In reply to Adrian_Thompson: Oooops! My bad. I just figured the place was abandoned and all boarded up. http://news.yahoo.com/detroit-broke-could-bankruptcy-lie-ahead-185859786.html

If the city goes bankrupt it doens't mean everyone will pack their bags and move out. Detroit in one form or another will continue to exist. But personaly with Wal-MArt, given a choice of going in and getting a widget for $1.00, I'll drive 2 miles further and happily pay $1.25 to avoide them.

I'm totally with ya there. I avoid Wal-Mart.

the only thing I like about wal-mart are the rest rooms. With my intestines, when you gotta go, you gotta go. I would rather do it there

OK, I give, you can go buy your depends there