Fake bomb slips through UPS security

UPS has revealed that it inadvertently carried a fake bomb from the UK to Turkey.

A Turkish man in north London sent the counterfeit device, disguised as a wedding cake, two weeks ago but the news has only now been released. The ‘bomb’ consisted of a wedding cake box containing a timer, wires and detonator, but no explosive. It evaded detection throughout its entire journey.

A UPS spokesperson said: “Two weeks ago, a suspicious package travelled in the UPS network aboard an all-cargo aircraft from the United Kingdom to Istanbul, Turkey.

“UPS is cooperating with the British Department for Transport’s investigation of the incident.”

A spokesperson from the Department for Transport added: “We have already begun an investigation which will look at all aspects of this incident, including UPS’ procedures.”

Current speculation suggests it may have been a trial run by terrorists, although the 26-year-old man London police arrested in relation to the crime has been released on bail, which is unlikely to have happened if the police suspected him of being a terrorist.

The event will be a blow for UPS, happening only five months after the infamous printer cartridge bomb was discovered on one of its freighters at East Midlands Airport en route from Yemen to the US.

Needless to say, non-industry journalists are dragging out politicians and academics on television and in national newspapers to demand “something be done!” So far, none have provided any technically and financially realistic solutions.

Tobias Feakin of the Royal United Services Institute – a UK-based security think tank – said: “Something that terrorists have consistently demonstrated is an understanding of where these weakest links exist and an ability to exploit them. It is vital that global efforts are supported to eradicate these weak links in the chain. There needs to be a more concerted focus on understanding and tackling inbound threats and building resources and security capacity in the countries of greatest concern.”