Plane Crazy: 'Barefoot Bandit' Case Hints at Gap in Airport Security




Authorities say Colton Harris-Moore -- the so-called "Barefoot Bandit" -- is responsible not only for hundreds of burglaries, but also the theft of at least five airplanes.


Quote from the article:
How the 19-year-old allegedly pulled off so many crimes in two years is a subject of debate, but one expert sees an even bigger issue -- the ease of stealing planes even after 9/11.



"The fact that [authorities say] he was able to get the airplanes and get them out of the [airports] successfully without anybody challenging him is scary," Los Angeles attorney John A. Greaves said in an interview with AOL News. "That means, basically, anybody that wants to steal a plane can."

Harris-Moore -- who was arrested Sunday -- is suspected in the theft of at least five airplanes from around the country:

  • November 2008: A plane belonging to a Seattle radio DJ is stolen from the Orcas Island Airport in San Juan County, Wash., and crash-landed on the Yakama Indian Reservation in southern Washington.
  • Sept. 11, 2009: An experimental aircraft is stolen from San Juan Island in northwestern Washington and crash-landed at the nearby Orcas Island Airport.
  • Sept. 28, 2009: A plane is stolen from the Boundary County Airport in northern Idaho and crash-landed near Granite Falls, Wash.
  • Feb. 10, 2010: A plane is stolen from an airport in Skagit County, Wash., flown around the restricted airspace set up for the Vancouver Olympics and landed at the Orcas Island Airport.
  • July 3, 2010: A plane is stolen from the Monroe County Airport in Bloomington, Ind., and crash-landed in the Bahamas. Thirteen days later, Harris-Moore is taken into custody by Bahamian police following a high-speed boat chase.



  • Source: Plane Crazy: 'Barefoot Bandit' Case Hints at Gap in Airport Security

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