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Unusual Attacks

Man aims at mouse, shoots housemate


By Patti Dobranski
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 20, 2004

A mouse loose in a Somerset County house may have escaped injury early Tuesday morning, but a woman who lives there wasn't as fortunate.

State police at Somerset said 43-year-old Donald Eugene Rugg was attempting to shoot the rodent with a .22-caliber handgun inside the home he shares with 35-year-old Cathy Jo Harris, along Chicken Bone Road, in Lower Turkeyfoot Township, shortly after midnight.

As he fired the weapon, Harris reportedly walked into the path of the discharged round and was struck in the right arm with birdshot.

Police said Harris was transported to Somerset Community Hospital by her 16-year-old daughter. A spokeswoman at the hospital said yesterday Harris was admitted and listed in stable condition.

State police said no charges will be filed against Rugg in the incident.

State police Cpl. Robert Clark said that while it's not against the law to discharge a weapon in a home, police advise against it.

There were no telephone listings for Rugg or Harris, so attempts to contact him about the incident were unsuccessful.
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http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/regional/s_263817.html
 
And depsite my claims that a chainsaw isn't really a great weapon for attacking somoene:

Neighbour 'cut in chainsaw attack'

23oct04

A MAN has allegedly cut through his neighbour's car door with a chainsaw, leaving the neighbour in a serious condition with stomach wounds.

The injured 35-year-old man was airlifted to a Brisbane hospital from Inglewood, in southern Queensland, with major cuts to his stomach, police said.

Police said a neigbourhood dispute had erupted when the victim was driving along a property fenceline with a friend around 2am (AEST) today.

His neighbour, 38, allegedly ran towards the car with a chainsaw and cut through the passenger door.

Police said a man had been charged with grievous bodily harm, unlawful wounding and wilful damage.

He is to appear in Warwick Magistrates Court on November 23.
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http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,11160743%5E1702,00.html
 
Coincidence?*

Massive "Raygun" Fires Up In Megawatt Laser Test

Redondo Beach CA (SPX) Nov 15, 2004
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has successfully test-fired the megawatt-class laser built by Northrop Grumman for the Airborne Laser (ABL) system, marking the first time such a powerful directed energy weapon suitable for use in an airborne environment has been demonstrated.

The ground-based test, referred to as "First Light," took place Nov. 10 on ABL's laser testbed at the Systems Integration Laboratory, a special building at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., which houses a modified Boeing 747 freighter fuselage where all elements of the laser system are being assembled and tested.

The test involved the simultaneous firing of all six laser modules and the associated optics that comprise the Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL). The laser systems produced an amount of infrared laser energy that was within pre-test expectations.

"This successful test shows the ABL team has met the engineering and system integration challenges in size, weight and configuration posed by building the world's most powerful laser for use within an airborne environment," said Wes Bush, president of Northrop Grumman Space Technology.

"This is an exceptional achievement by the ABL team and represents a tremendous technological step forward in laser weapons. We are enormously proud of the outstanding work of our team in developing the many innovations required to make this first-ever event happen and in demonstrating our readiness to move to flight aircraft integration."

The ABL is the first airborne megawatt-class laser weapon system. The ABL is a specially configured 747-400F aircraft, designed to autonomously detect, track and destroy hostile ballistic missiles during the boost phase.

The high-power laser is coupled with a revolutionary optical system capable of focusing a basketball-sized spot of heat that can destroy a boosting missile from hundreds of miles away.

The laser and optical systems are controlled by a sophisticated computer system that can simultaneously track and prioritize potential targets.

"First Light" is an important milestone because it verifies the integration, operation and control of six laser modules and their associated optics in the flight configuration," said Steve Hixson, Northrop Grumman ABL program manager.

"We look forward to completing the laser's current ground test program, moving it into the flight aircraft and integrating it with the beam control/fire control system. Completion of those events will move us another significant step closer to shooting down a ballistic missile in flight."

The ABL program is managed by the Missile Defense Agency and is executed by the U.S. Air Force from Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, N.M.

The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman are working closely with the Air Force and the Missile Defense Agency to develop ABL.

Boeing is responsible for developing the ABL battle management system, integrating the weapon system, and supplying the modified 747-400 freighter aircraft. Lockheed Martin is developing the Beam Control/Fire Control system. Northrop Grumman is providing the complete COIL system.

From detection, to tracking, to engagement, Northrop Grumman is bringing its entire suite of expertise to bear on developing a global, layered, missile defense capability.

In boost phase, Northrop Grumman leads an industry team on the Kinetic Energy Interceptors program and is developing the chemical laser portion of the airborne laser; for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program, Northrop Grumman is playing a major role providing the GMD fire control/communications system, better know as the "brains" of the midcourse system.

In the area of sensors, the company is prime contractor for the space tracking and surveillance system (STSS) and is currently the prime on DSP, the retiring sensor system; in modeling and simulation, Northrop Grumman leads the effort at the Joint National Integration Center, the nation's premier missile-defense modeling and simulation center and international wargaming center.
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http://www.spacedaily.com/news/laser-04v.html

*Yes probably ;)
 
Pickled kittens thrown at police

November 24, 2004 - 12:16PM


A New Zealand woman who was furious about police taking her three preserved snakes stormed into the Hamilton station and threw a jar of pickled kittens at the counter.

Susan Hoskyn, 39, said she was so mad she could barely contain herself as she made her way to the central North Island police station about 1pm on Sunday.

"I walked in the door and said 'You've taken my snakes - here, have my pussy as well', and slammed the jar on to the counter."

Police communications manager Kris McGehan said although the encounter sounded amusing, it had serious consequences.

"The jar shattered, it was full of formaldehyde which is highly toxic, the public counter had to be closed which caused police and the public a lot of inconvenience.

"Two phones had to be replaced and we had to monitor the health of staff who may have absorbed the chemical or its fumes."

Hoskyn, unemployed, was arrested and appeared in court in front of a community magistrate on Monday charged with behaving in an offensive manner.

She did not enter a plea.

Hoskyn said her trouble began on Sunday when she had an argument with her partner, Tony.

"I slipped over and cut my head, Tony panicked and called an ambulance thinking he had caused my injury. He hadn't.

"Police were called, we think by the ambulance people. While outside they saw two cannabis plants and decided under the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act they could search the house.

"I was taken away by ambulance and Tony was arrested. When they searched the house they came across my two snakes, preserved in jars."

The snakes were taken away by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF).

"When I got back from the hospital and saw they had taken them I saw red. I bolted down to the police station to demand them back."

Hoskyn said the snakes, which she bought from an antique store, held special spiritual significance for her because she was born in the year of the snake and used them to help celebrate Halloween.

She also kept the two kittens for Halloween celebrations, using them to give the house a scary look.

The kittens were stillborn from the couple's cat.

A spokeswoman for MAF said the snakes had been taken away by quarantine staff at the request of police.

"We estimate they are at least 60 years old. We're still assessing what to do with them."

Hoskyn said the snakes were harmless and wanted police to return them.
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Source
 
Woman Allegedly Ran Over Teens With Her SUV After Getting Hit With Golf Ball

The Associated Press
Published: Dec 6, 2004



ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) - A woman ran over two teenage brothers after they accidentally hit her sport utility vehicle with a golf ball they were bouncing in a parking lot, officials said. One of the boys suffered life-threatening injuries.

The 14- and 16-year-old boys were bouncing the golf ball in a shopping center parking lot Sunday afternoon when it went astray and struck the SUV driven by 47-year-old Kathy Feaganes Allen, sheriff's Deputy Greg Suchy said.

No damage was done, and the boys apologized and began to walk away, Suchy said. Allen started to drive away, but suddenly made a U-turn, ran over a median and struck the teens before knocking over a light pole, Suchy said.

"I tried to run. I blacked out. I woke up bleeding," Justin Marshman, 16, told The Florida Times-Union.

She then allegedly went after a third brother, but did not hit him. A witness said that after the SUV came to rest, Allen got out of the car and smoked a cigarette with the boys lying on the ground in pain.

"She charged them. This was the most deliberate act," witness Russell McPhee said. "After she ran them down, she got out of the car and lit a cigarette like a movie star."

Isiah Grayer, 14, was in critical condition Monday. Justin Marshman, his stepbrother, was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Brent Woolbright of the St. Johns County Public Defender's Office said he was assigned Allen's case Monday and was trying to get all the facts.

"I talked to her, and her story is a little different that what was reported," he said.

Allen told the court she has mental problems. A judge ordered her held without bail Monday on three counts of attempted murder.
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Source
 
Bad hair day gets man arrested
Tuesday, December 07, 2004

WINNIPEG - A man is facing several charges, including assault after a case of hair rage at a Winnipeg shopping mall.

Police say a 26-year-old man got his hair cut at a mall salon last Friday.

Unhappy with the work, he returned the next day and demanded a refund.

The hairstylist attempted to fix the haircut but the customer grew even more unhappy.

When his demand for a refund was refused, police allege he threatened a salon employee.

When mall security tried to escort him out, he allegedly punched one officer and kicked the other -- both in the face.

Police were called but before they arrived, the man had knocked over several displays, causing more than one-thousand dollars in damage.

© Broadcast News 2004
http://www.canada.com/fortstjohn/story. ... 30bb004542
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last updated: 12/9/2004

Four Charged in Bizarre Attack on Driver Back in Court

(New York-WABC, December 9, 2004) — On Long Island, four teenagers accused of throwing a turkey at a moving car will be arraigned today. The victim, 44-year-old Victoria Ruvolo, nearly died in the attack last month in Lake Ronkonkoma. Doctors say she has little memory of what happened.


Eighteen year-old Ryan Cushing was charged with the actual throwing of the 20-pound turkey back on November 13th. Cushing, described as the ringleader of the teens, was indicted by the grand jury on charges of first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, possession of stolen property and three counts of forgery.

Seventeen year-old Rachel MacDonald, of Centereach, was indicted on charges of criminal possession of stolen property and three counts of forgery. Seventeen year-old Steven Manzolina, of Selden, was indicted on charges of fourth-degree grand larceny and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. Eighteen year-old Michael Hasbrouck, of Selden, was indicted on charges of fourth-degree grand larceny and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.

However, the grand jury declined to indict 18-year-old Jack Cutrone and 17-year-old Amanda McDonald, both of Selden.

Lawyers had said that Cutrone, the driver, repeatedly warned Cushing not to throw the turkey but said he did it anyway. ''I told him he could seriously hurt somebody. He said something like 'If I throw it at the door, it won't hurt nobody,''' Cutrone said in a statement to police.

''I am infuriated that this happened,'' he said in his statement. ''The lady didn't deserve to have a turkey thrown through her windshield.'' Cutrone said that after Cushing threw the turkey, Cutrone pulled into a parking lot and smacked Cushing on the head.
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Source
 
Inmate Charged in Pork Chop Stabbing


Dec 9, 5:10 PM (ET)

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - A prison inmate in Cleveland County is accused of stabbing another prisoner with a sharpened pork chop bone. Lexington Correctional Center inmate Erenesto Hernanced-Rosales, 39, was charged Wednesday with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

According to correctional officers, Hernandez-Rosales got into a fight with the other inmate on Nov. 28 and stabbed the man under the left eye with the bone. The bone had been sharpened and fashioned into a weapon.

Hernandez-Rosales admitted that he tried to stab the man's eye out, the correctional officers said.

Hernandez-Rosales is serving an eight-year sentence from Kay County for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

A spokeswoman for the Lexington Correctional Center said the inmate, who was not identified, was not seriously injured.

"It did break the skin, but it hit that cheek bone below the eye socket, so the injuries were not life-threatening," said spokeswoman Genese McCoy. "He was very lucky."

---

Information from: The Norman Transcript, http://www.normantranscript.com
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Source
 
Terrorists may use lasers to down planes, FBI says

AP , WASHINGTON
Saturday, Dec 11, 2004,Page 7


Terrorists may seek to down aircraft by shining powerful lasers into cockpits to blind pilots during landing approaches, federal officials are warning in a bulletin distributed nationwide.

The memo sent by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department says there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons, though there is no specific intelligence indicating al-Qaeda or other groups might use lasers in the US.

"Although lasers are not proven methods of attack like improvised explosive devices and hijackings, terrorist groups overseas have expressed interest in using these devices against human sight," the memo said.

"In certain circumstances, if laser weapons adversely affect the eyesight of both pilot and co-pilot during a non-instrument approach, there is a risk of airliner crash," the agencies said.

In September a pilot for Delta Air Lines reported an eye injury from a laser beam shone into the cockpit during a landing approach in Salt Lake City. The incident occurred about 8km from the airport. The plane landed safely.

FBI and other federal officials are investigating. It is not clear if a crime was committed or if the laser was directed into the cockpit by accident. Steve Luckey, a retired airline pilot who is chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association's national security committee, said pilots are concerned about a recent increase in laser incidents, but do not know what to make of them. He said he has learned of two or three cases in the past 90 days.

"The most recent incidents appear to be aimed at pilots in the vicinity of airports," Luckey said. "A few seem to be intentional, and we're wondering why and what's going on."

Lasers can cause temporary blindness and severely damage the eye by burning the retina. The bulletin notes they are "relatively inexpensive, portable, easy to conceal and readily available on the open market."

Lasers are commonly used in a number of industries and are featured in outdoor light shows. A variety of more powerful military-grade lasers are produced around the world, but there is no evidence that terrorist groups have managed to obtain one, according to federal officials.

The bulletin was sent late last month to law enforcement officials and key government agencies and industries.
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Source
 
Taxi Driver Shoots Man in Bin Laden Mask


Dec 14, 3:03 PM (ET)

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) - Osama bin Laden take note: You wouldn't be safe in Costa Rica. A startled taxi driver shot and wounded a jokester wearing a plastic mask of the al-Qaida leader, police said Tuesday.

Leonel Arias, 47, told police he was playing a practical joke by donning the Bin Laden mask, toting his pellet rifle and jumping out to scare drivers on a narrow street in his hometown, Carrizal de Alajuela, about 20 miles north of San Jose.

Arias had startled several drivers that way on Monday afternoon. But when he jumped out in front of taxi driver Juan Pablo Sandoval, the motorist reached for a gun and shot him twice in the stomach. He was hospitalized in stable condition.

"For me and I think for anybody else at a time like that one thinks the worst and so I fired my gun," Sandoval told Channel 7 television.

Police declined to detain Sandoval, saying he had believed he was acting in self-defense.
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Source
 
Octopus cannon targets McDonalds in southern France

Sat Dec 18, 1:52 PM ET


SETE, France (AFP) - Armed with a high-pressure hose and a bucket of octopi, hundreds of protestors in this Mediterranean town pelted a McDonalds restaurant due to open this week with the slimy seafood.

Between 300 and 500 people gathered on the banks of the Sete canal, across from the fast-food outlet, playing music and yelling anti-junk-food slogans across the water, as police barred them from reaching the restaurant itself.

Aiming the hose across the water, they catapulted fresh octopi -- a local delicacy, known here as the "pouffre" -- towards the town's first McDonalds, which had been set to open on Saturday.

The crowd held up slogans slamming junk food, dubbed "malbouffe" in French, as well as work conditions in the fast-food industry.

Driving home their point, the protestors were serving up traditional Setois dishes -- one of which is the tielle, a fragrant octopus, tomato and onion pie prized by locals and tourists alike.

The demonstration caused the opening of the restaurant, the first fast-food outlet in the port town following years of resistance by the former communist mayor, to be put off until next week.

A group led by French militant farmer Jose Bove pulled down a McDonalds outlet that was under construction in the southern town of Millau in 1999, earning Bove a jail sentence, although the restaurant was later rebuilt.
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http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBOGWV053E.html

Flight Attendant Accused of Sabotaging Emergency Equipment Aboard Planes

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A flight attendant was accused of damaging emergency equipment aboard 14 flights, causing them to be delayed or canceled.

Steven R. Hirtzinger, 23, appeared in federal court Thursday to face charges of causing a plane to become inoperable. He was accused of tampering with equipment aboard Pinnacle Airlines flights, including fire extinguishers, oxygen tanks and breathing gear used by pilots in emergencies, according to a complaint filed by the Milwaukee-based carrier.

The sabotage began in August and continued through Wednesday, allegedly increasing as Christmas neared. Pinnacle security officials set up a sting after noting that all but one of the 13 incidents happened on flights when Hirtzinger was on duty. The only exception involved a plane he had flown on earlier, the complaint said.

Hirtzinger was arrested Wednesday at his home. His attorney, Fred Bruno, said Hirtzinger will plead not guilty and that he had reported the equipment problems to a supervisor.

The airline conducted an inspection of its fleet and found no additional equipment damage.

Pinnacle operates commuter flights to and from Northwest Airlines hubs in Minneapolis, Detroit and Memphis.
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Inmate Charged in Pork Chop Stabbing
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My dad always used to say that a cut from a meat bone was quite dangerous as they can cause nasty infections...

Yeah... anyway, this is a strange one

4 hostages tortured in Ottawa apartment
Two teens in custody in drug-related incident after home entered, victims held for 24 hours

Greg McArthur
The Ottawa Citizen

December 29, 2004

Four people, including an amputee who uses a motorized scooter, were held hostage for 24 hours and tortured in a Russell Road apartment in a dispute over crack cocaine.

Ottawa police have two teens, aged 19 and 17, in custody after two people forced their way into an apartment at 2080 Russell Rd. and tortured the occupants with a stick, a chain, heated knives and the -16C outside air.

Two hostages say they were duct-taped and forced to sit next to an open patio door while their captors poured cold water over their naked bodies.

"They were enjoying it, laughing and dancing. They thought it was a big joke," said Jean Delaney, sitting on his scooter yesterday, a few hours after the two teens were arrested by the Ottawa police tactical unit.

It all started Monday morning when two young people arrived at Apt. 305, the home of Mr. Delaney's common-law wife, Eloise Barnaby. Ms. Barnaby's brother, Percy Barnaby, 44, was also in the apartment at the time.

The two teens dragged a beaten man, who they had accused of stealing their crack cocaine, to the apartment, the hostages said. The man, in turn, fingered the occupants of Apt. 305 as the thieves.

In an attempt to discover the truth, the teens taped Mr. Delaney, Ms. Barnaby and Mr. Barnaby and beat the other man with weapons they brought in a black gym bag, the hostages said.

"They beat him up and they wanted us to see it," Mr. Delaney said. "They humiliated him. They humiliated us. They even peed on me."

Later, the teens heated some knives using the apartment's stovetop, the hostages said. "They burned him with the knife so many times I don't know," Mr. Delaney said.

After hours of beating the man, they turned to the tenants of Apt. 305, the hostages said. After dousing the hostages with water, they took to punching Mr. Delaney, Mr. Barnaby said.

Mr. Delaney, a grey-haired guitarist from Montreal, lost the bottom half of his left leg to peripheral vascular disease more than a year ago.

In the middle of the night, someone knocked on the door and took away the beaten man, the hostages say.

"I guess they got tired of beating up the guy. They beat him until four in the morning," Mr. Barnaby said.

The teens often communicated in a language that wasn't English or French, the hostages said. They appeared to be of Arabic descent, and Mr. Delaney says they were warned by the teens: "We're going to show you the Lebanese way."

During the hostage-taking, tenants at the Russell Road building, a public housing complex that was reserved for seniors until 1991, went about their business.

Neighbours told Mr. Delaney they didn't hear a thing through the apartment's sound-proof walls, he said.

It wasn't until the morning, after the teens began to doze off while watching a show on the Discovery Channel, that the one-legged man escaped.

Mr. Delaney told the captors he needed to go to the pharmacy to get his medication, Mr. Barnaby said. Surprisingly, they let him, Mr. Barnaby said.

Mr. Delaney dialled 911 from a plaza on St. Laurent Boulevard. When the police arrived, the teens had awakened and started beating Ms. Barnaby, her brother said.

Though Mr. Delaney claims the occupants of the apartment didn't know their captors, Mr. Barnaby said the same teens had been hanging out there earlier that weekend.

Late last night, investigators were still going through statements and conducting interviews. No charges had been laid against the teens and police expected to issue a news release this morning.

There were no major injuries, but Ms. Barnaby was taken to hospital with a sore arm. Police couldn't comment about the whereabouts of the severely beaten man.

Anyone with any information is asked to call investigators at 236-1222 ext. 5192.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2004
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Ottawa Citizen
 
Thursday December 30, 11:34 AM

FBI Probes Laser Beam Directed at Cockpit

Authorities are investigating a mysterious laser beam that was directed into the cockpit of a commercial jet traveling at more than 8,500 feet.

The beam appeared Monday when the plane was about 15 miles from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, the FBI said.

"It was in there for several seconds like (the plane) was being tracked," FBI agent Robert Hawk said.

The pilot was able to land the plane, and air traffic controllers used radar to determine the laser came from a residential area in suburban Warrensville Heights.

Hawk said the laser had to have been fairly sophisticated to track a plane traveling at that altitude. Authorities had no other leads, and are investigating whether the incident was a prank or if there was a more sinister motive.

In Colorado Springs, Colo., Monday night, two pilots reported green pulsating laser lights shined into their cockpits. Both the passenger plane and a cargo plane landed without problems.

Police dispatched patrol cars and a helicopter to a neighborhood to investigate but found nothing. FBI agents were continuing to conduct interviews, agency spokeswoman Monique Kelso said.

Federal officials have expressed concern about terrorists using laser beams, which can distract or temporarily blind a pilot.

A memo sent to law enforcement agencies recently by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department says there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons. Authorities said there is no specific intelligence indicating al-Qaida or other groups might use lasers in the United States.

In September a pilot for Delta Air Lines reported an eye injury from a laser beam shone into the cockpit during a landing approach in Salt Lake City. The incident occurred about 5 miles from the airport. The plane landed safely.

Lasers are commonly used in a number of industries and are featured in outdoor light shows.

The FAA mandates that laser light shows must register their locations and the lights cannot be directed above 3,000 feet. Lasers are also often used by construction companies to line up foundations.

Interfering with a commercial flight is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
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Source
 
There have been a number of cases of accidentally laser dazzling, and there are also a variety of laser weapons systems that can dazzle/blind (deliberately or otherwise), and the military at least have some quite sophisticated defences.


The British 'Laser Dazzle Sight' - a laser device used to blind attacking pilots - is apparently still used in a modified version, and in the US there are some quite advanced gadgets that we may be hearing more about.
Something

http://www.hrw.org/reports/1995/Us2.htm shows where we were at ten years ago, just before blinding weapons were banned.

It doesn't surprise me that terrorists should cotton on to this, though it's not really al-qaida style.
 
This article on MSNBC

CLEVELAND - The FBI, concerned that terrorists could use lasers as weapons, is investigating why laser beams were directed into the cockpits of commercial airliners six times over the last four days

A federal law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity said that the bureau is looking into one incident in Cleveland, two in Colorado Springs, Colo., and three others. The official said there is no evidence of a plot or terrorist activity.

A memo sent to law enforcement agencies recently by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department says there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons. Authorities said there is no specific intelligence indicating al-Qaida or other groups might use lasers in the United States.

It’s a federal felony to interfere with flight crews. Laser beams can distract or temporarily blind a pilot.

On Monday, a laser beam was directed into the cockpit of a commercial jet flying about 15 miles from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport at an altitude of between 8,500 and 10,000 feet, the FBI said.

The pilot landed the plane, and air traffic controllers used radar to determine the laser came from a residential area in suburban Warrensville Heights.

On Monday night in Colorado Springs, two pilots reported green pulsating laser lights beamed into their cockpits. Both planes landed without problems.

Police sent patrol cars and a helicopter in a fruitless search. FBI agents were continuing to conduct interviews, agency spokeswoman Monique Kelso said.

In September a pilot for Delta Air Lines reported an eye injury from a laser beam shone into the cockpit during a landing approach in Salt Lake City. The plane landed safely.
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Interestingly it gives the height 8,000 to 10,500 feet. This is very disturbing a laser with that intensity shone into an aircraft in a landing pattern at a non-auto landing facility airport would be very dangerous
 
The number of incidents seems to vary from one report to another.

Seven Laser Incidents Reported at Airports Since Christmas
FBI Investigates Mysterious Beams Directed at Planes' Cockpits

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30, 2004 — Aviation authorities are investigating the latest in a string of incidents in which laser beams have been directed into the cockpits of commercial jets while in flight. There have been seven such incidents since Christmas, ABC News has learned, but the origin of the beams remains unclear.

The latest incident occurred Wednesday night at the Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, when the pilot of a business jet saw a laser light while approaching the runway.

On Christmas Day there were three reported laser incidents at airports in Houston, Medford, Ore., and Washington, D.C.

On Monday, two pilots reported seeing laser lights in their cockpits while flying into Colorado Springs, Colo. Both planes landed without incident.

On the same day at the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, the FBI says, a green laser light beam was directed into the cockpit of a Continental 737 that was 15 miles from the runway.

"This plane was targeted," said FBI special agent Bob Hawk. "It just didn't flash for a moment inside the cockpit. The plane was traveling at about 300 miles an hour, at about 8,500 to 10,000 feet. It followed the plane inside the cockpit for two to four seconds."

Terrorist Groups Interested in Using Lasers

Last month the FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin to law enforcement agencies, warning "terrorist groups overseas have expressed an interest in using these devices." But, they added, there is "no specific or credible intelligence indicating that terrorists intend to use lasers as weapons against civilian targets in the homeland."

The FBI does not believe the recent incidents are terrorism-related, but the Air Line Pilots Association is concerned.

"The fact that they've been in different places in different times and now that they're increasing in number tells me this is more than just a coincidence," said Capt. Dennis Dolan, vice president of the pilots' group.

"It can flash-blind one or both pilots in the airplane for a period of time where they can't see anything," Dolan said. In fact, in September, a Delta pilot five miles from the Salt Lake City runway apparently suffered temporary eye damage when the plane was flooded with laser light. The plane landed safely.

Pilots have long been concerned about lasers, and the FAA mandates laser-free zones around airports. The zones extend to a height of 2,000 feet and a radius of two miles around the runway. And there's a restricted zone of 10 miles and 10,000 feet for more powerful lasers.

This first became a real problem for commercial aviation in the 1990s — when cities like Las Vegas began outdoor laser shows. Those shows are now heavily regulated so they do not interfere with aviation.

As for who is aiming the recent lasers, and why — authorities are trying to figure that out.

ABC News' Lisa Stark filed this report for "World News Tonight."
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ABC News
 
US probes 'laser-tracked' flights

(It is against federal regulations to shine a laser at an aircraft)



US investigators are examining a spate of cases in which laser beams have been shone into the cockpits of aircraft.
The most recent case was in Cleveland, Ohio, on Monday night, where a pilot says a green laser light was shone through the window of his cockpit.
The light tracked with the plane for several seconds as it came in to land.
The FBI, worried that terrorists may use lasers to stun and disorientate pilots, is investigating a series of similar incidents involving lasers.
The FBI has recently warned law enforcement agencies that terrorist have explored using lasers as weapons. However, authorities say they have no specific intelligence to link the incidents with al-Qaeda activities in the US.
"It didn't just splash and vanish, which made the pilot believe he was being tracked," FBI agent Robert Hawk told AFP news agency.
The pilot landed the plane and the FBI traced the beam to a residential area of Cleveland.
Six similar incidents are being examined by the FBI.
On Monday, two pilots in Colorado reported green pulsating laser beams in their cockpits in Colorado Springs. Both planes landed without incident.


(c) bbc 04
 
Mostly the same stuff, with a few new quotes, bits of information:

Pilots wonder whether they’re target of lasers
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Pilots from time to time encounter laser beams that stray into the cockpit on approach to an airport, but a recent rash of such incidents — at least seven since Christmas — has them worried about an organized effort to take down airliners.

Though there have been no reports of accidents caused by lasers, they can temporarily blind and disorient a pilot and could lead to a plane crash.

The FBI is investigating whether the incidents are pranks, accidents or something more sinister.

Federal agents are looking into two incidents in Colorado Springs, Colo., and one each in Cleveland, Washington, Houston, Teterboro, N.J., and Medford, Ore., according to law enforcement and transportation officials, some of whom spoke Thursday only on condition of anonymity.

Scientists discount the possibility that pilots are merely the victims of a popular new Christmas toy or jokesters toying with a $19 laser pointer from an electronics store.

Loren Thompson, who teaches military technology at Georgetown University, said a piece of equipment that could do the things the FBI is investigating would be “fairly expensive and fairly sophisticated.”

He characterized it as a reasonably powerful visible light laser that can lock onto a fast-moving aircraft. “That’s not the sort of thing you pick up at a military surplus store,” he said.

Law enforcement officials say they have no evidence of an organized effort to take down planes. Further, they say they’ve had reports of similar incidents since the technology became popular.

But a memo sent to law enforcement agencies recently by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department says there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons, though there’s no intelligence that indicates they might use them in the United States.

Pilots and safety officials have long been concerned about the dangers of lasers used in light shows or to attract the public to an event.

Hundreds of cases of lasers shining into pilots’ eyes have been reported over the past decade; in several, the pilots sustained damage to their eyes.

Most recently, a pilot for Delta Air Lines reported an eye injury from a laser beamed into the cockpit while approaching the Salt Lake City airport in September. The plane landed safely.

The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates laser light shows, consults with the Federal Aviation Administration when someone wants to operate a laser outdoors near an airport. The FAA recommends the maximum safe level of laser light exposure for pilots maneuvering near airports.

An FAA-commissioned study released in June acknowledged the possibility that terrorists could use a laser to attack an aircraft — and that it would be hard to detect and to defend against.

“A sufficiently powerful laser could cause permanent ocular damage, blinding crewmembers and make a successful landing virtually impossible,” the report said.

Rob Sproc, a pilot who serves as vice president of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance, says pilots should have heard about the recent laser incidents from the government, not from the news media. Whether they’re a safety hazard or terrorist threat, he said, “we’re a little distressed that the information isn’t being passed along the way it should be.”

“If it takes you down, it’s kind of irrelevant what the source is,” Sproc said.
On Christmas night, two SkyWest pilots said they saw two laser-like rays of light in their cockpit as they attempted to land at the airport in Medford, Ore., according to FBI spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele.

On Monday, a laser beam was directed into the cockpit of a commercial jet flying about 15 miles from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport at an altitude of between 8,500 feet and 10,000 feet, FBI special agent Robert Hawk said. It was determined the laser came from a residential area in suburban Warrensville Heights.

Also on Monday in Colorado Springs, two pilots reported green pulsating laser lights beamed into their cockpits. Police sent patrol cars and a helicopter in a fruitless search. FBI spokeswoman Monique Kelso said the bureau is continuing to investigate.

In New Jersey, the pilot of a corporate-owned Cessna Citation carrying 13 people said three green lasers were pointed into his cockpit while approaching the Teterboro airport on Wednesday night. Law enforcement officials said they were believed to have originated near a mall in Wayne, according to Passaic County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Bill Maer.
All the planes landed safely.

•••
Associated Press writer Curt Anderson contributed to this story.
Click to expand...

Net version of same story (I yanked mine off the Washington AP wire):
http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/12/31/news/laser.html
 
Hundreds of cases of lasers shining into pilots’ eyes have been reported over the past decade; in several, the pilots sustained damage to their eyes.
Click to expand...

Curioser and curioser.
 
... and a lovely vague follow-up today. I especially like the bit where there's "no evidence of a terrorist plot involving laser beams" yet there "is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons." ... So they've thought about using them, but not in a plot... just in general. Oh, alright then.

Several people questioned after laser beams aimed at aircraft in New Jersey
The Associated Press

TRENTON, N.J. — Authorities investigating two incidents in which laser beams were aimed at aircraft flying over northern New Jersey have questioned several people but made no arrests, the FBI said Saturday.

The pilot of a corporate jet first reported seeing the green lasers on Wednesday as he came in to Teterboro Airport for landing. A police helicopter for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey flew over the area Friday to investigate, and also spotted the lasers.

FBI Special Agent Steve Kodak said Saturday that no one was in custody. A spokesman for the Port Authority said a Parsippany resident was among those questioned.

Federal agents are looking into similar incidents involving lasers and aircraft, including cases in Cleveland, Washington, Houston, Colorado Springs, Colo., and Medford, Ore.

Laser beams can temporarily blind or disorient pilots and possibly cause a plane to crash.

Federal law enforcement officials have said there is no evidence of a terrorist plot involving laser beams, though last month the FBI and the Homeland Security Department sent a memo to law enforcement agencies saying there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons.
Click to expand...
'Net version of same story: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4705708,00.html
 
More on one of the men questioned:
Lawyer: Man with laser meant no harm

BY MIKE FRASSINELLI
Star-Ledger Staff

The Parsippany man whisked from his home on New Year's Eve and questioned by the FBI about a laser pointed at a decoy police helicopter was in the "wrong place at the wrong time," his lawyer said last night.

David Banach and his young daughter were playing with a laser on the deck of their back yard on Pitman Road, illuminating neighborhood trees and houses and pointing it into the sky around 5:30 p.m., lawyer Gina Mendola Longarzo said.

Soon, the neighborhood was swarmed by law enforcement officials.

Banach, 38, was taken Friday night to FBI headquarters in Newark and didn't get home until 4:30 a.m. yesterday, traumatizing his worried family and leaving the young daughter feeling guilty that she got her father in trouble, Longarzo said.

"They were going to have a quiet night," Longarzo said. "His daughter wanted to look at the stars. ... This is clearly not an act of terrorism."

The lawyer said Banach, a father of three young girls and the husband of a local PTA president, works in fiber optics and uses the laser in his work.

She said the laser, while strong, is "totally legal."

"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, playing with his daughter with a laser beam toy," Longarzo said.

She said Banach had nothing to do with the laser incident near Teterboro Airport on Wednesday that prompted the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to take a decoy helicopter to the skies on Friday.

In a state where law enforcement officials are sensitive to terrorism, particularly when it comes to aircraft, they are taking seriously Wednesday's incident in which a laser was shone three times into the cockpit of an incoming private corporate flight to Teterboro Airport.

After the decoy police copter was tagged with a green laser beam on Friday, authorities spent the last hours of 2004, and some of the first ones of 2005, questioning David Banach.

Several other pilots across the United States in recent weeks, including ones in Ohio and Colorado and Oregon, have reported similar incidents with green hand-held lasers, frequently used by astronomers or teachers during class lectures.

"Obviously, it's a concern for us because we operate three larger airports and a smaller airport in the region, and it's an extreme safety hazard for pilots who are in the process of coming in for final approaches," said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for Port Authority, which oversees Newark, LaGuardia, JFK and Teterboro airports.

Flying in the metropolitan New York City area, with its proliferation of airports and abundance of people, is tough enough for pilots, said John F. Gambal of Montville, a pilot who uses Teterboro. Dodging laser beams makes it even more difficult, he said.

"Any kind of light in the cockpit is a huge distraction, especially when you are flying at night," Gambal said.

He said that unlike a giant light heralding a grand opening of a store, which the pilot can see from afar and easily avoid, the pilot can't see the finer, more intense laser beam until the light strikes the pilot in the eye.

Far from being toys, some lasers can cause retina damage, Gambal said.

Spokesmen for the Port Authority and the U.S. Attorney's Office yesterday would say only that they questioned people in the Teterboro incident and haven't made an arrest. An FBI spokesman wouldn't even say that much.

All three spokesmen said the investigation was continuing.

Banach is known in the neighborhood for buying gadgets for his daughters and having the nicest Christmas display on the street.

Jay Patel, who lives across from Banach in the neighborhood that sits near Lake Parsippany, thinks Banach's detainment was the result of a misunderstanding.

"I think he was playing along with his kids," Patel said yesterday. "He's not the kind of guy who would try blind a pilot or anything like that. He buys all kinds of toys for his kids, motorized cars and stuff like that."

The proliferation of law enforcement vehicles that descended on Banach's house -- still adorned yesterday by Christmas decorations and a sign in the front that read, "No Parking Except for Dad" -- was the talk of the quiet neighborhood.

"Everybody knew about these lasers and everybody was curious about what happened," said Patel, a resident of the neighborhood for more than 20 years. "It was a big shock."
Click to expand...

Link
 
Renigirl: Good stuff tracking this one.

I see a couple of issues:

1. In the UK I believe that lasers come in a variety of classes from the hand held one's up to the display ones. Its only when you get up to the display size ones that I thought you could be injured (and pos. not even then as it is unwise to go around blinding concert/disco goers). Is this not the case in the uS? Also surely a handheld pointer couldn't injure a pilot?

2. These "attacks" have been in Ohio, Oregon, Colorado, etc. which are widely enough spaced to rule out a lone prankster/terrorist so do we have a rash of copycats or cells of laser weilding terrorists?

3. A decoy helicopter?
 
I know this lame but I was talking this over with my dad yesterday and we both came out with "Remember that Louis Theroux programme from years ago??". About the survivalists who hole up in the mountains and who talk about New World Orders.

They had some pretty impressive arsenal on them.
 
https://ewhdbks.mugu.navy.mil/lasersaf.htm :

Class 1 Low power / non-hazardous

Class 2/2a Low power / minor controls necessary. Emit less than 1 mW visible CW radiation. Not considered hazardous for momentary (<0.25 sec) unintentional exposure. Class 2a lasers are those class 2 lasers not intended to be viewed, i.e. supermarket scanners.

Class 3a/3b Medium power / direct viewing hazard / little diffuse reflection hazard. Class 3a is visible lasers with 1-5 mW power output, invisible lasers, and those having 1-5 times the Accessible Emission Limit (AEL) of class 1 lasers. Class 3b is all other class 3 lasers at all wavelengths which have a power output less than 500 mW.

Class 4 High power / eye and skin hazard / potential diffuse reflection hazard or fire hazard

Getting hold of class III and IV lasers is not entirely straighforward in the UK, but they're still much easier to buy than SAMs.
 
FBI clears terrorists of shining laser pointers at pilots

greets

news update:

FBI clears terrorists of shining laser pointers at pilots
By Ashlee Vance in Chicago
Published Monday 3rd January 2005 18:58 GMT

Terrorists have not engaged in a nationwide plot to annoy pilots with laser pointers, according to the FBI.

The FBI investigated 8 incidents over the past two weeks in which pilots reported seeing laser beams in their cockpits. The lasers appeared most often during takeoff and landing and were seen in Texas, Oregon, New Jersey and Ohio. As it turns out, the laser attacks were likely the result of accidents or just horseplay.
Click Here

Ever vigilant, the FBI is now investigating a new laser incident after United Airlines pilots reported seeing a green light when taking off from Nashville International Airport. The pilots were able to complete the flight and landed unharmed here in Chicago.

Numerous people have been questioned by the FBI about this laser beam activity, but no one has been charged with a crime.

Laser pointers often come with warnings that prolonged exposure - about a minute and half - to the beam can cause serious eye damage. Makers of the devices also say people should not shine the laser beam into their eyes through a pair of binoculars. Some of the pointers do have a range of close to two miles.

One seller of a high-powered laser has pulled its products as a result of the recent incidents. ®
Click to expand...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/03/fbi_laser_terror/

mal
 
Man Charged With Aiming Laser at Aircraft
By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press Writer

NEWARK, N.J. - A man who initially claimed his daughter aimed a laser at a helicopter was charged after he told federal agents that he pointed the light beam at two aircraft, authorities said Tuesday.

David Banach of Parsippany faces charges of interfering with the operator of a mass transportation vehicle and making false statements to the FBI. He is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court on Tuesday afternoon.

The aircraft were targeted by the lasers near Teterboro Airport.

On Wednesday night, a pilot preparing to land a chartered jet with 13 people aboard reported seeing three green laser beams about 11 miles from the airport. On Friday, a helicopter carrying Port Authority detectives was hit by a beam as they surveyed the area in an attempt to pinpoint the origin of the original beams. The two incidents were among a rash of recent reports of lasers allegedly aimed at aircraft, raising fears that the light beams could temporarily blind crew members and lead to accidents. Last month the FBI and the Homeland Security Department sent a memo to law enforcement agencies saying there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons, though federal law enforcement officials have said there is no evidence of any terrorist plot in the current incidents.

According to court papers, under questioning Banach admitted lying and said he shined a laser beam at both the jet and the helicopter. He has not been charged in the helicopter incident. His lawyer, Gina Mendola-Longarzo, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Tuesday.

The chartered jet was flying at about 3,000 feet when the pilot and co-pilot saw a green laser beam strike the windshield three times, according to court documents filed Tuesday. The flash blinded the two temporarily, but they were later able to land the plane safely.

After the helicopter crew also reported seeing laser beams, FBI agents canvassed Banach's neighborhood trying. Banach told the agents it was his daughter who shined a beam at the helicopter, according to court papers. He denied the laser was in use when the jet had passed nearby. But later, Banach submitted to a lie detector test and eventually said he shined the laser beam at both aircraft, according to the court papers. The papers did not give any alleged motive.
Click to expand...

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050104/ap_on_re_us/laser_beam_aircraft
 
Man Charged Under Patriot Act for Laser

Jan 4, 11:01 PM (ET)

By WAYNE PARRY

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Federal authorities Tuesday used the Patriot Act to charge a man with pointing a laser beam at an airplane overhead and temporarily blinding the pilot and co-pilot.

The FBI acknowledged the incident had no connection to terrorism but called David Banach's actions "foolhardy and negligent."

Banach, 38, of Parsippany admitted to federal agents that he pointed the light beam at a jet and a helicopter over his home near Teterboro Airport last week, authorities said. Initially, he claimed his daughter aimed the device at the helicopter, they said.

He is the first person arrested after a recent rash of reports around the nation of laser beams hitting airplanes.

Banach was charged only in connection with the jet. He was accused of interfering with the operator of a mass transportation vehicle and making false statements to the FBI, and was released on $100,000 bail. He could get up to 25 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000.

Banach's lawyer, Gina Mendola-Longarzo, said her client was simply using the hand-held device to look at stars with his daughter on the family's deck. She said Banach bought the device on the Internet for $100 for his job testing fiber-optic cable.

"He wasn't trying to harm any person, any aircraft or anything like that," she said.

The jet, a chartered Cessna Citation, was coming in for a landing last Wednesday with six people aboard when a green light beam struck the windshield three times at about 3,000 feet, according to court documents. The flash temporarily blinded both the pilot and co-pilot, but they were later able to land the plane safely, authorities said.

"Not only was the safety of the pilot and passengers placed in jeopardy by Banach's actions, so were countless innocent civilians on the ground in this densely populated area," said Joseph Billy, agent in charge of the FBI's Newark bureau.

Then, on Friday, a helicopter carrying Port Authority detectives was hit by a laser beam as its crew surveyed the area to try to pinpoint the origin of the original beam.

According to the FBI, the Patriot Act does not describe helicopters as "mass transportation vehicles." As for why Banach was not charged with some other offense over the helicopter incident, Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, did not immediately return calls for comment.

A few hours after the helicopter was hit by the laser, FBI agents canvassed Banach's neighborhood, trying to find the source of the beams. Banach told the agents it was his daughter who shined the laser at the helicopter, according to court papers.

Similar incidents have been reported in Colorado Springs, Colo., Cleveland, Washington, Houston and Medford, Ore., raising fears that the light beams could temporarily blind cockpit crews and lead to accidents.

Last month, the FBI and the Homeland Security Department sent a memo to law enforcement agencies saying there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons. But federal officials have said there is no evidence any the current incidents represent a terrorist plot.
Click to expand...

source: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050105/D87DMD880.html

+some photos of the guy in question
 
isnt there some type of scattering material that could be used for the windscreen on planes?
 
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