FAA opens probe into cleavers carried onto jet

The Federal Aviation Administration and an airport security company are investigating how a Chinese chef apparently got meat cleaver-like cooking utensils onto a Miami-to-Chicago flight.

Ming Sung Mok, 76, was released from jail Tuesday night on his own recognizance and is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 14. He was arrested after a United Airlines gate check of his belongings at O’Hare International Airport found the utensils. He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, a misdemeanor.

Mok flew from Caracas, Venezuela, to Miami on Monday, then flew from Miami to Chicago. He spent the night at O’Hare and was about to board a nonstop flight to Hong Kong when he was detained.

“There was an apparent security lapse in Miami, and our intention is to investigate it thoroughly,” said United Airlines spokesman Joe Hopkins.

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, new safety measures at airports have included increased scrutiny of bags and passengers at security checkpoints and hand searches of carry-on bags.

FAA agents found three breaches of security at Miami International Airport and one breach at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport between Oct. 30 and Nov. 6. The incidents involved improper security screening at airline gates after initial screenings were done, said FAA spokesman Christopher White.

Plainclothes FAA agents found the violations during random boarding inspections. There were 30 incidents in that time period at the nation’s more than 400 airports.

On Tuesday, another incident occurred at an AirTran Airlines gate in Fort Lauderdale. FAA agents had questions about a new employee’s security training. As a precaution, passengers were taken off the plane and re-screened, an AirTran spokesman said.

Argenbright Security Inc., which handles security for United and other airlines at dozens of airports, is investigating the Mok case.

As an international passenger, Mok would have gone through customs and immigration at Miami International Airport, left a secure area and gone through a security checkpoint before boarding his flight to Chicago, said airport spokesman Marc Henderson.

Argenbright Security was criticized last week for lapses by security screeners at O’Hare, who let a man with seven knives, a stun gun and a can labeled pepper spray in his carry-on bag make it to a gate.

Information from The Associated Press supplemented this report.

Madeline Baró Diaz can be reached at mbaro@sun-sentinel.com or 305-810-5007.