Beware the Cheese Bomb (Updated)

Thinking of bringing home some nice unpasteurized Brie from your summer vacation to Paris? Think again, the ever vigilant Transportation Security Administration (TSA) sent out a warning this week to airports, telling them to be on the lookout for cheese (or any other dense items that could resemble explosives). TSA officials are concerned that people are planning "dry runs" using items meant to resemble bombs.

While there's something inherently amusing about the thought of TSA officials inspecting chunks of swiss cheese, in fact, the incidents described involve cheese and chunks of clay taped with wires are a bit disconcerting. Apparently, the incidents involve passengers with checked baggage that includes the clay and/or cheese attached to a cell phone or wrapped with wires and other suspicious materials.

The bulletin said the passengers carrying the suspicious items seized since September included men and women and an initial investigation had not linked them with criminal or terrorist organizations. But it added that most of their explanations for carrying the items were suspicious and some were still under investigation.

In any case, TSA hasn't (yet) banned cheese.

Update:

Gridlock points out that at least part of the TSA concerns could be, well, a little silly. San Diego officials are apparently saying that the "clay-like substance" was nothing more than leaking cold packs:

*Sanfilippo said a routine swab test of the bag indicated the presence of a chemical that is sometimes used in explosives or medications. Inside the luggage, inspectors found cold packs, wrapped in clear packing tape, that were old and leaking. *

*The TSA bulletin said the ice packs were covered in duct tape and had clay inside of them. *

*Sanfilippo said they weren't covered in duct tape and didn't have clay inside of them. “It is a little bit off,” he said of the bulletin. *