Diaries Magazine

How Do You Spot a Terrorist?

Posted on the 11 April 2012 by Ellenarnison @Ellen27

How do you spot a terrorist?

All Boy One's own work.

If you ask someone in security at Glasgow Airport they, apparently, would answer - he is 12, has Asperger's and is fixated with cake decorating. 
Really. Yesterday I dropped the big Boys off at the airport so they could fly to spend a few days with their dad in Wales. They are very grown up and traveling on their own. 
Before they packed their lovely new cases and presented them for my inspection. This is necessary since both the hot water bottle incident and the souvenir bullet debacle. I found that all their currently favorite things were present and, I thought, correct. 
Boy One is in the grip of a fascination with all things icing. I've been persuaded to subscribe to My Cake Decorating magazine which comes with lots of exciting things, including a cardboard fold-up cake stand. And so his packing included all the treasures - piping bag, biscuit and sugar craft gun, etc.
We arrived at the airport at the appointed hour only, as usual, to be told to go away for 45 minutes. I suspect the dropping off unaccompanied children rules were drawn up with a view to the profits of the car park company as it's impossible to do so without triggering the been-here-more-than-two-hours penalty.
However, we sought sustenance at the Cafe of the Highway Robber and could hardly hear ourselves play eye spy over his laughter at the fact we'd paid nearly nine quid for three bags of crisps, two juices and a cup of tea. 
Later I handed the Boys over, "no kisses mum", and watched them disappear towards security. Moments later airline staff came to find me to tell me that they'd had to remove the biscuit and sugar craft gun from his luggage "because it posed a risk". 
Of what? To whom? How do you spot a terrorist? 

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