Man who concealed razor blades sentenced

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS reports:

FORT WORTH, Texas -- A man who arrived at the Dallas airport on a flight from Europe with 32 razor blades in his carry-on luggage has been sentenced to more than five years in prison.

Prosecutors said Fazal Karim, a Canadian citizen originally from Pakistan, was testing airport security for potential terrorist aims when he carried the double-edged blades into the airport.

He was convicted last year of carrying and attempting to carry concealed dangerous weapons onto air transportation and of making false statements about his immigration status.

Karim, 37, denied he had any terrorist ties.

At Monday's sentencing, U.S. District Judge Terry Means ordered Karim to be turned over to immigration officials for deportation after completing his term, and fined him $20,000.

The prosecution said Karim arrived at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on an American Airlines flight from Paris on March 5, 2003, and told federal agents he was coming to the United States to visit friends.

Transportation Security Administration screeners discovered the razors when Karim attempted to enter a secure area of the airport to board a flight to Houston.

FBI agents said Karim was not a tourist but an immigrant without authorization to live in the United States.

Tuesday, April 13, 2004 · Last updated 8:30 a.m. PT