POLICE AT Munich airport admitted to two serious security lapses yesterday that allowed into the boarding area a man whose laptop tested positive for explosives.
Airport security staff waited several minutes after noticing their mistake before informing border police, who were unable to locate the man.
Faced with a serious security situation and no suspect, police shut down the entire second terminal for four hours, resulting in 100 delayed and 33 cancelled flights.
The man – described by airport authorities as a 50-year-old “suited, bespectacled businessman in a hurry” – is being sought by police, who stress they are not conducting a manhunt. “The man probably didn’t even realise he had been asked to stay for another laptop examination,” said airport spokesman Albert Poerschke.
When the man passed security at Munich’s Terminal 2 at 2.40pm on Wednesday afternoon, his laptop set off a silent explosives alarm at the lowest possible level – not unusual for electrical equipment, perfume and other items.
Asked to wait while the laptop was checked again, the man either misheard, did not understand or ignored the request and hurried off into the crowd.
A security guard pursued him into the terminal but lost sight of him. Eight minutes later, the security staff contacted police who, in a 200-strong team with sniffer dogs, combed the terminal without success. Finding no one matching the man’s description – at least 10 flights had taken off meanwhile – police emptied the terminal of 5,000 people and sent them through security again.
But as the security staff did not check the man’s ID, police did not know who they were looking for.
As stranded passengers waited, more than 20 aircraft required in other cities took off without their passengers.
Four hours later, at about 7pm, police lifted the alarm and began an inquiry into the scare they blamed on human error.
Airport authorities rejected claims yesterday by Germany’s police union that its security staff were under pressure and under-paid, pointing out that the airport security company is owned by the Bavarian state and that staff are paid union rates.
