The Allure of the Container to Illicit Actors

27 Dec The Allure of the Container to Illicit Actors

Osama bin Laden was a businessman before he led Al Qaeda and was known to control a fleet of approximately twenty cargo ships. Lawless actors like Al Qaeda and more sinister groups like ISIS understand well the vital role of sea transport and certainly seek to exploit it. Both have likely used cargo containers or ships to ferry agents and terrorist- related material around the globe.

These efforts were demonstrated in October 2001, barely a month after the 9/11 tragedy, when authorities in the southern Italian Port of Gioia Tauro discovered an unusually well-equipped and neatly dressed stowaway locked inside a shipping container. The container was essentially a temporary home rigged with a bed, water, and other supplies for an extended voyage. The stowaway was Rizik Amid Farid, an Egyptian citizen with a Canadian passport. Farid carried two mobile phones, a satellite phone, a laptop computer, numerous cameras, batteries, and— most significant— airport security passes and an airline mechanic’s certificate valid for four major US airports. In addition, he carried a return airline ticket from Montreal, Canada, to Egypt via Rome. The container was fitted out as a provisional residence and loaded in Port Said. Had Farid not been widening ventilation holes when workers in Gioia Tauro were nearby, the box may well have passed undiscovered to its final destination in Canada by way of Rotterdam. Farid was arrested but disappeared while on bail and no further information regarding his purpose and the irregular means of his travel were forthcoming. It did seem, however, on further investigation, that his intention was to alter airplane mechanisms or systems at airports within the United States.