Police: Woman carried fake bomb into airport

Woman followed police orders
Simpson was arrested about 8 a.m. outside Terminal C, home to United Airlines, Jet Blue and other carriers.

A Massachusetts Port Authority staffer manning an information booth in the terminal became suspicious when Simpson — wearing the device — approached to ask about an incoming flight, Pare said. Simpson then walked outside, and the staffer notified a nearby trooper.

The trooper, joined by others with submachine guns, confronted her at a traffic island in front of the terminal.

“She was immediately told to stop, to raise her hands and not to make any movement, so we could observe all her movements to see if she was trying to trip any type of device,” Pare said. “Had she not followed the protocol, we might have used deadly force.”

He added, “She’s lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue.”

Pare said Simpson had taken a subway to the airport, but he was not sure if she had the device on at that time.

Past security scare
Boston was the focus of a security scare Jan. 31 when dozens of battery-powered devices that featured a character making an obscene gesture with a finger were discovered in various locations. Bomb squads were deployed and some transportation links were closed temporarily. They turned out to be a promotion for the Cartoon Network. Two men were charged in that incident, but prosecutors dropped the charges after they apologized and performed community service.

Simpson was a member of MIT’s swimming and diving team in 2006, according to the team’s Web site, which lists her hometown as Kihei, Hawaii.

She is the secretary of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Electrical Research Society, her lawyer said. She is a graduate of the Hawaii Preparatory Academy, a private boarding school, has won school prizes for chemistry and leadership and had received a Congressional citation for her work in robotics, Schreiber said.

MIT issued a statement saying the school is cooperating with authorities. The statement said: “As reported to us by authorities, Ms. Simpson’s actions were reckless and understandably created alarm at the airport.”

Pare praised the booth attendant and said the incident is a reminder of the terrorism threat confronting the civil aviation system.

“In this day and age, the threat continues to be there,” he said.

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