Logan twice missed passenger's weapons

R.I. man got pistols, shotguns past security

At a time when airport security is so tight that even hand lotion can become the object of suspicion, one traveler managed twice to get pistols and shotguns through a phalanx of security personnel and on a plane from Logan Airport to the Middle East, the US attorney's office said.

Munir Alani, a gas station attendant from Rhode Island, said he transported weapons in his checked luggage twice in the last three years, most recently in March. He was not caught, security officials said, because Logan Airport screened his luggage only for explosives.

He tried it again in September, according to court documents. But this time, customs agents checked his luggage after he boarded a flight to Lebanon and found 11 firearms disassembled and tucked inside two suitcases.

The Transportation Security Administration is investigating the case along with State Police, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis.

Davis declined to comment on whether the case suggests a breach of se curity at Logan, which came under scrutiny after two planes from the airport were used to carry out the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

"Guns and ammunition are perfectly permissible in checked baggage as long as items are declared and they are packed in accordance with certain procedures," Davis said.

But Alani did not declare his guns, according to court documents.

His lawyer, Page Kelley, said her client simply was not aware that he was required to declare the weapons.

Airport security specialists say there are bigger threats than guns traveling in the baggage compartment of a plane, but gun-control advocates said it is alarming that people can transport guns undetected.

"We have much more permissive gun laws than any other developed country and thus become a supplier to criminals and terrorists around the world," said David Hemenway, director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center.

US Representative Michael Capuano, whose district includes Logan, said in a statement that "it is a very serious matter and raises questions about issues surrounding airport security."

"This is an ongoing investigation and there is still much we do not know," he said. "The information we do have is troubling and I will closely monitor the situation as it develops."

Alani, 26, told investigators that in March he traveled from Boston to Lebanon or Syria with five guns in his checked luggage.

He sold the shotgun and four pistols to friends for about $1,500 each, according to an ATF report.

Alani, who was born in Saudi Arabia and says he has ties to Syria's royal family, said he planned to sell some of the 11 firearms he was carrying in September to friends in Syria, according to the report.

"He added that American firearms are highly sought after items," the report stated.

Kelley said Alani has no ties to terrorists. Alani came to the United States with his father when he was about 14, according to the ATF report.

"It seems clear that this is not a case involving terrorists," Kelley said. "He has very strong family ties to the United States and he's a law abiding resident."

Alani's brother, Mohammed, declined to comment. Alani's father, who also lives in Rhode Island, could not be reached.

Federal law allows people to transport guns on planes as long as they declare them to customs officials. The law does not limit the number of guns a passenger can bring, but Davis said airlines can set their own restrictions.

An explosive device detection system, operated by TSA workers, screens every checked bag.

"TSA's focus is on those items that could be used to harm passengers or crew in the cabin or cause catastrophic damage to the aircraft," Davis said.

More thorough bag checks, during which officials may search for everything from guns to live animals, are conducted randomly, according to security specialists.

"You have to keep security unpredictable," said Alvy Dodson, former director of public safety at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

"It has to be random, so the bad guys can't set a time table by what you're doing. That's just smart business."

On Sept. 18, Alani was late catching a 5:30 p.m. Air France flight to Lebanon and an airline employee told him he could not board.

He allegedly told another airline employee, "If I don't leave, I'm going to lose $10,000."

Eventually, he was allowed on board and checked his two suitcases. They were promptly examined by officials from US Customs and Border Protection.

Alani, who also works as a cab driver, first told investigators he did not have firearms in his suitcases, but then admitted he had bought them from gun shops and dealers in Rhode Island. He has been charged with unlawful delivery of firearms to an airline and making false statements.

The fact that he was caught shows TSA's security system worked, said Dodson, who is now vice president of Priva Technologies Inc., a security authentication firm based in Chicago.

"I think this is sort of an aberration that this guy got this through," he said, adding that there was never a serious threat to the passengers.

"What are they going to do with a gun that's in their checked luggage?" he asked.

John Rosenthal, founder of Stop Handgun Violence, said the case underscored the danger of gun smuggling.

"It's not a stretch to think that terrorist groups have been coming to the United States, buying them, shipping them back to Afghanistan or Iraq and killing US soldiers," Rosenthal said.

"We could be conceivably arming the people we're fighting."

Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com.