LaGuardia Incident Mystery

INCIDENT AT LAGUARDIA

3/22/03 LaGuardia Airport evacuated "The central terminal of LaGuardia Airport was evacuated. It happened Friday when a gas mask and white powder were found in an Israeli woman's bag. She was traveling from Israel to Texas. The first test came up positive for anthrax, but a second test proved negative. " local copy*

3/22/03 LaGuardia Powder Incident This seems to be the same story which was initially reported, then removed, on CNN. This version says the powder was harmless, but fails to say why the screeners still had to be decontaminated. Note that in this version of the story, the powder was found in a checked bag and the woman was on the plane before she could be questioned. local copy*

3/22/03 Ten people made ill by harmless powder local copy*

3/22/03 In this story, the powder was found on the Israeli woman's handbag, not the checked luggage So how did she escape arrest and get on the plane to Texas? local copy*

3/22/03 Another report on the "harmless" powder that made people ill. Again the report that the powder was found in the woman's handbag, so why wasn't the woman detained? local copy*

3/22/03 Powder was in 9 inch cylinder alongside gas mask. Screener developed rash on hands after handling. local copy*

Powder and gasmask found in luggage but Israeli woman not detained, allowed to board plane to Texas. The Texas FBI won't return calls asking if the woman has actually been interviewed. The powder tests positive for anthrax, then is declared to be harmless, but ten people become sick and are treated, plus the screeners (one of whom gets a rash on his hands) are decontaminated.  Why do I get the feeling that a staged terror attack to blame on Iraq just fell apart?

More to the point, how many other Israelis are now inside the US with 9 inch cylinders of "harmless powder" and gas masks?