don’t they check the “no fly” list before the boarding gate? Don’t they scan your passport at customs? Seeing that this was an international flight, I highly doubt there wasn’t a security check before the boarding gate.

actually I think it’s relevant because he was in fact wanted by the police, so how did he get past security? Don’t they have a system that is linked to a “wanted” list, or a “no fly” list? If no then why not? If yes, then why did he get through?
And the rapist part, well, I think it stresses the point that this man could be dangerous, and possibly has used the stun gun to attack someone in the past. As opposed to someone who has no criminal record (or not wanted by the police), who carries a stun gun for defensive reasons, but may have forgotten to take it out of the bag.

A taser making it through security, in and of itself, isn’t newsworthy, and if the intent of the piece is to remark upon the continued failures of the TSA and airport security, the article should instead be structured expressly for that purpose, as an in-depth critical analysis, not as a shock value blurb.

The article is merely telling us what we already know. “System Still Broken” isn’t a compelling news headline, so they spice it up with the completely unrelated rape allegations to garner larger outrage.

Think about airport security checks for a moment. You hand someone your boarding pass and an ID. They check the ID for obvious forgery, and they compare the name to that printed on the boarding pass. THAT’S IT. No database check, no nothing, so long as your ID at least APPEARS genuine and your boarding pass has the same name on it, they don’t care.

You then pass through the metal detectors and the carry-on screening. Assuming they’re competant or not negligent, they find any obvious contraband there.

Finally, when you reach your Gate in the terminal, you “check in” for your flight, which can be as uninvolved as handing over your boarding pass to be scanned. If you’re on the No Fly List, this is where you will be dectected, as they scan the boarding pass into their computer systems and they compare it to the list. (Assuming you even got this far, as the computer check can occur before you ever go through security, when you first attempt to get your boarding pass.) If your name is a “match” for one of the names on the list, you are denied access to the plane. There is no further information in the system available to the drones working the desk. Any questions regarding why you are or are not on the list must be taken to management.

http://www.amazon.com/Baracuda-Million-Tactical-Security-Black/dp/B00A6VJ0XG

Firstly, people have already brought loaded firearms and other far more dangerous objects onto planes under the current TSA regime. We know the system is broken, it’s been proven soundly, and this is merely the latest case of screening failure, nothing new or without precedent.

Secondly, the TSA is not, nor is supposed to be, a replacement for the police. They have no way of knowing who this man is, what crimes he may be sought for, or anything else of that nature. The only task to be reasonably expected of them was screening him for contraband. (Barring situations such as the police specially requesting the TSA’s aide in stopping this man from traveling, et cetera.) Therefor his crimes and modus operandi have no bearing on the performance of their screening duties. Their failure is no worse for his being wanted than it would be if he were a verifiable saint.