Explosives on plane to Ireland

national | miscellaneous | news report Thursday January 07, 2010 17:41 by tomeile

Police arrested Slovak national, Stefan Gonda, on Tuesday after he had unwittingly brought plastic explosives into Ireland three days earlier on a plane. He was later released without charge . The pilot of the Danube Wings plane had been informed before take off from Poprad-Tatry airport in eastern Slovakia that the explosive material was on board , but decided to carry on with the plane’s scheduled flight .
Slovak chief of border police Tibor Mako said the explosives had been attached to the straps of the man's backpack “to test security at Slovakia’s Poprad-Tatry Airport.”

The Slovakian ministry of the interior said that a telex was sent by the Poprad-Tatry airport authorities to Dublin airport while the flight was still in the air to Dublin , although Dublin Airport Authority said the first it knew of any plastic explosives entering Dublin was when the Slovakians rang them on Tuesday morning. The DAA immediately rang gardaí and the force put a bomb search and disposal operation in place.A spokesman for Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said it "beggared belief" that the man had been allowed to board the flight .

The Irish Times today has a copy of the fax sent by Slovak authorities asking Dublin airport to kindly return the explosives.
“Dear Colleagues, please be informed that we have received info from police department of (Tatry Airport) that there is forgotten sample of explosive material in baggage on bord of flight no V58230.”
“The sample of grey colour is in plastic bag (size 5x5cm) in the rare part of black backpack (under harnesses) in hold no 3 or 4. The sample is not dangerous, it is only used for dog training. It is not able to cause explosion nor fire (no power source of detonator is included) Pilot in command has been informed about this sample by ATC (air traffic control). We would like to kindly ask you to return that sample with flight no V58231. Thx for coop.”