National
Sweatshirt Sparks Bomb Scare At Logan International
By Kerri Krueger
Sep 30, 2007 - 11:28:51 AM

Photo courtesy of Associated Press.

BOSTON—On September 21, a 19-year old student was arrested at Logan International Airport after her sweatshirt triggered a bomb scare. Flights were not affected and the airport terminal was not evacuated.

Star Simpson, a student at MIT, was waiting for her boyfriend to arrive on a flight from Oakland. She was wearing a black sweatshirt that had a computer circuit board and wiring on the front. The back of the shirt had “Socket To Me- Course VI” written on it. “Course VI” is apparently a reference to MIT’s major in electrical engineering and computer science.

Authorities arrested Simpson at gunpoint around 8 a.m., calling her shirt a ‘fake’ bomb. She told them it was art, but they refused to listen and continued the arrest proceedings. “I’m shocked and appalled that anyone would even wear something like that, especially to an airport.” said Maj. Scott Pare, commanding officer of Logan International.

Simpson is an expert in the areas of electronics and robotics at MIT. The circuit board was located on the chest area of her shirt and was equipped with numerous flashing lights which were battery powered. She was also carrying Play-Doh in one hand, but at this point, it is unknown whether the police thought it was explosive matter.

Simpson’s lawyer reportedly said that the authorities had overreacted. Two years ago, a similar scare had happened at Logan International, and authorities stated that they were “just taking precautionary measures, especially after September 11, since one of the hijacked flights had flown out of Logan.”

“She [Simpson] said it was a piece of art and that she had wanted to stand out on career day,” Maj. Pare said. “She claims it was just an art piece, that she was proud of her work, and that she wanted to display it.”

Simpson was charged with possession of a hoax device and was released on $750 bail, after a not guilty plea was entered. Prosecutors had originally requested a $5,000 bail, claiming that she had shown a blatant disregard for airport rules and security.

“She wasn’t a security risk and cooperated with authorities during her arrest,” said Ross Schreiber, Simpson’s attorney. “She was at the airport for legitimate purposes.” Simpson had been waiting for a flight from Oakland, on which her boyfriend was a passenger.

Simpson reportedly is the secretary of MIT’s Electrical Research Society and has won awards for projects in chemistry and leadership. She has also received a Congressional citation for her work in robotics at MIT. MIT issued a statement saying, “As reported to us by authorities, Ms. Simpson’s actions were reckless and understandably created an alarm at the airport.”