Airport Evacuated Due to Bottles in Pakistani Woman’s Carry-On

The Tri-State Airport in Wayne County, WV, was shut down tight Thursday when an airport screener noticed a few fluid-filled bottles in 28-year old Rima Qayyum’s carry-on luggage. The screener immediately notified authorities, who detained Qayyum while testing the bottles. An initial test and a canine team confirmed that the bottles tested positive for explosives, so the liquid was sent for more sophisticated testing and the airport was immediately shut down and evacuated.

Initial laboratory testing by the FBI turned up no evidence of explosive materials inside the bottles carried by Qayyum, but federal authorities are doing more tests on residue found on the outside of the bottles. Qayyum was released and Jeff Killeen with the FBI in Pittsburgh told reporters, "The FBI doest not consider the bottles’ owner or the bottles to be a threat at this time." No charges were filed against Qayyum, and she fully cooperated with officials during the investigation.

Qayyum’s mother, Mian Qayyum, said that she believes her daughter, who is four months pregnant, was targeted by the airport screener because she was wearing a traditional Islamic head cover and is of Pakistani descent. "I'm just really worried for her," Mian Qayyum told reporters. She has been up all night; she hasn't slept for the last two nights. She has been abused and I don't know....she and now she's being abused by the system. At first, she was abused by her husband and now she's being abused by the system just because she's wearing a head scarf."

Qayyum was attempting to board the first leg of a trip to Michigan when she was stopped by the screener. She was detained for most of the day Thursday while officials tested the bottles, and once she was cleared, Qayyum was free to continue on her way, and she was booked on a 1 p.m. flight Friday to continue on to Jackson, Michigan, where her parents live. However, her plans changed and instead she headed to Michigan by car. When asked by reporters, the FBI and US Airways initially blamed each other for Qayyum not being on her flight. But late Friday afternoon, Killeen spoke to reporter and said, "It was a mutual decision with the FBI and Miss Qayyum that flying was not in her best interest because of the intense media attention."

Qayyum’s mother told the Associated Press that her daughter is innocent and should not have had to endure such scrutiny. "It was not only a false alarm, it was racial discrimination because there was nothing," Mian Qayyum said. "They should clear her name and apologize on national TV."