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06445 August 31, 2006
Man who packed dynamite on plane attends Presbyterian-related college
Student granted bond after mine souvenir landed him in custody
by Evan Silverstein
LOUISVILLE * A Connecticut man detained last week after customs agents found what they suspected was dynamite in his checked luggage on a flight to Houston from Argentina, is a student at a Presbyterian-related college.
Howard McFarland Fish, 21, a junior majoring in psychology at Lafayette College (http://www.lafayette.edu/) in Easton, PA, was granted bond Monday (Aug. 28) on a federal charge of carrying an explosive aboard an aircraft. No future court appearances were scheduled.
It was not immediately known whether Fish, who could not be reached for comment, is a Presbyterian. His parents, Howard and Carter Fish of Old Lyme, CT, did not return phone calls from the Presbyterian News Service on Wednesday (Aug. 30).
U.S. Magistrate Calvin Botley lectured Fish about the importance of attending all court dates and meeting all other bond requirements, including a ban on drinking, according to the Associated Press.
Fish's parents traveled to Houston to co-sign their son's bond and take him back to Connecticut upon his release from custody. Carrying an explosive aboard an aircraft carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
"My son is a college student and a boy who would not hurt anyone," the elder Fish told the Associated Press after he and his wife co-signed their son's $75,000 bond.
Fish had been in federal custody since Aug. 25 when Customs and Border Patrol agents found a stick of dynamite * as well as a black powder-based fuse and a blasting cap * in his checked luggage upon his arrival in Houston on a flight that originated from Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to published news reports.
His carry-on luggage contained two more fuses. The dynamite was found during a luggage search in a federal inspection station at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston shortly after his plane, Continental Flight 52, landed at about 6 a.m.
The incident involving the younger Fish was among seven security incidents that disrupted U.S. flights on Aug. 25. Authorities said the incidents involving Fish and the others did not have any indication of terrorism, though two flights were diverted, more were delayed and passengers were questioned.
Fish's flight was delayed in Houston for more than an hour before it continued to Newark Liberty International in New Jersey. There, the plane was kept from the terminal as a precaution and then cleared, authorities said in published news accounts.
An affidavit written by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Mark Fluitt said Fish told authorities he had obtained the explosive devices during a tour of a mine in Potosi, Bolivia.
The affidavit said Fish explained that the tour group went to a small shop near the mine and was instructed to buy presents for the miners. Fish told authorities the bag he bought contained coca leaves, juice, the dynamite and other explosive components.
Fish told authorities he gave miners the juice and coca leaves, but left with the explosive devices because he was never asked for them. He said he wanted to take the dynamite home as a souvenir, the affidavit said.
Fish also told authorities he "was confident that if the different components were kept separate, there was no way the dynamite would explode," the affidavit said.
Roger Clow, Lafayette College's director of communications, confirmed that Fish is a psychology major at the school, but citing privacy concerns declined to answer other questions about the student, including whether Fish is a Presbyterian.
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