By Greg Risling
Associated Press, September 12, 2013
Authorities were examining a website they say is linked to an arrested
airport security screener that contained letters declaring America would
be "reduced to nothing" by events "greater than 9/11."
The letters were posted on a website apparently operated by Nna Alpha
Onuoha, 29, who was charged Wednesday with one count each of making a
false threat and making threats affecting interstate commerce.
The charges came a day after Onuoha quit his job with the Transportation
Security Administration at Los Angeles International Airport.
The site under investigation includes Onuoha's name and a birth date
that matches public records for him. It contains letters celebrating
Jesus and Israel, condemning al-Qaida and lamenting that Satan has
corrupted so many people. There also are photos of Onuoha posing with
crosses.
One posting attributed to Onuoha said a message would be released Sept. 11 and America "will be reduced to nothing."
"Do not expect another 9/11," it said. "What will unfold on this day and on the days ahead will be greater than 9/11."
That passage is part of a lengthy letter apparently written to the
father of a 15-year-old girl whose treatment by Onuoha during screening
at LAX in June led the TSA to suspend him. Onuoha was upset by the
girl's attire and said she should cover herself.
The incident drew attention when the girl's father, Mark Frauenfelder,
wrote about it on boingboing, a blog he founded. He said his daughter
was humiliated and shamed. He posted a photo of her in the outfit,
modest by modern standards, and said he had complained to TSA.
A federal official confirmed the incident was the reason Onuoha was
suspended for a week in July. The official spoke on condition of
anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk about the case publicly.
The official also said Onuoha owned two handguns.
The unapologetic letter apparently meant for Frauenfelder was dated Aug. 25.
"If you need an example on how to properly dress your fifteen year old
daughter before you send her out on a world tour in this world ruled by
satan, you should look up to Muslim women," the letter said.
TSA spokesman Ross Feinstein declined to comment, referring questions to law enforcement investigating the matter.
Onuoha, originally from Nigeria, had worked for TSA since 2006, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.
He had been an infantryman in the National Guard who served from 2004 to
2010, including a deployment to Kosovo for a peacekeeping mission
between 2005 and 2006, said California National Guard spokesman Capt.
Will Martin. Onuoha reached the rank of specialist.
He showed up at LAX on Tuesday afternoon, resigned from his job and
returned several hours later to leave a package at TSA's airport
headquarters that was addressed to a manager.
A bomb squad found no explosives or harmful contents in the package but
discovered an eight-page letter expressing disdain for the U.S. and
referencing the event that led to his suspension, Eimiller said.
Later Tuesday, a man believed to be Onuoha made two phone calls to TSA
saying certain airport terminals should be evacuated, Eimiller said.
During one call, the man told an employee he would "be watching" to see
if authorities evacuated the terminals as instructed.
The threats prompted a brief shutdown of parts of LAX.
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