This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by psa188@xxxxxxxxx I'm surprised something like this hasn't happened sooner. psa188@xxxxxxxx /-------------------- advertisement -----------------------\ Explore more of Starbucks at Starbucks.com. http://www.starbucks.com/default.asp?ci=1015 \----------------------------------------------------------/ A Raft Adrift at J.F.K. Yields Rods and Reels, Not Rockets August 12, 2003 By THOMAS J. LUECK As things turned out, it was just three fishermen in a raft. But to airport security officials, forced to contend with the specter of armed terrorists on their runways, the unwanted appearance at Kennedy International Airport on Sunday came as a jolt. "This happened on a secure part of the airport," said Pasquale DiFulco, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport. "We have launched an investigation." Mr. DiFulco said Port Authority police officers were alerted about 10:30 p.m. that three people had made their way into an area adjacent to an active runway. The runway was at southeast end of Kennedy, one of several airports in the nation that pose a special security risk because they are bounded by water. Kennedy's grid of runways lies adjacent to several bodies of water, including Jamaica Bay to the south, and two smaller channels, Bergen Basin and Thurston Basin, that frame sections of the airport's eastern and western boundaries, respectively. When airport security found the fishermen, they quickly determined that the unwanted visitors did not pose a terrorist threat. Mr. DiFulco said the trio, in their teens and early 20's, had been fishing in a raft before being on airport property. "They were apparently out fishing and hit choppy waters earlier in the day," he said. "They must have bounced around for a while before ending up on the airport." The three fishermen, whose identities were not disclosed, were not injured. Mr. DiFulco said the airport police found the raft filled with fishing equipment; its three passengers were carrying nothing more threatening than rods and reels. But the incident follows calls from federal officials for tighter security at the nation's major airports after inspections showed that passenger planes, during takeoffs and landings, may be vulnerable to terrorists using shoulder-fired missiles. In March, senior White House officials said inspections had been carried out at about 80 airports by a federal task force. The task force had been created in 2002 after terrorists linked to Al Qaeda tried to shoot down an Israeli passenger plane during its takeoff from an airport in Kenya. In that case, two smaller shoulder-fired missiles barely missed the aircraft. Administration officials did not identify the airports that were being required to make improvements, citing security reasons. But they said some of the airports would introduce new, 24-hour security patrols and electronic surveillance of the flight paths used for takeoffs and landings. The Port Authority, which also operates La Guardia and Newark Liberty International Airports, said in March that it was taking steps to respond to the threat of shoulder-fired missiles, but it declined to discuss details. Mr. DiFulco said yesterday that the appearance of the three fishermen added greater urgency to security efforts. "We have launched an investigation into where this occurred, and we are looking at patrol procedures and supervision," he said. "Obviously, this is something we have to be very concerned about." http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/12/nyregion/12RAFT.html?ex=1061695935&ei=1&en=e1d662ee0ef1fe89 --------------------------------- Get Home Delivery of The New York Times Newspaper. Imagine reading The New York Times any time & anywhere you like! Leisurely catch up on events & expand your horizons. Enjoy now for 50% off Home Delivery! Click here: http://www.nytimes.com/ads/nytcirc/index.html HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact onlinesales@xxxxxxxxxxx or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help@xxxxxxxxxxxx Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company