If officer Reese is too busy to respond to the TSA, he needs to be in a new line of work. As for the Jordanian man, come on...if the TSA did not question homemade alarm clock contraptions, they'd not being doing their job--this from the disgruntled, barefoot woman being pat down in all my special places at seemingly every airport I enter. We need more details about the WHY Bataineh was fired...let's start by publishing the name of his former employer!

The days of political correctness need to end. If it looks, walks and talks like a duck we have to call it a duck. The guy got what he deserved by carrying a laptop with a battery taped to it and saying he did not have a laptop.

Terry

Remember Occam's Razor.

I cannot believe racism of this magnitude is taking place in the USA. This country is turning into another Aparteit! Let's think people, how can we call ourselves a democratic society, which values human rights above all else, and allow this sort of inhumane treatment of people to take place on our soil. I hope Mr. Bataineh is going to sue HPD and his ex-employer for this hideous act.

I think that even though this person is not a terrorist and a legal immigrant, with the history of 911 and all of the IED bombings that are going on he put himself in this predictament by walking around with computers, time clocks and shoes, knowing that being of eastern descent will automatically heighten this type of situation. However the employer should not have fired him, but houston police should fire that officer
aew..;;;

This guy must have been looking for trouble. With all the terrorist activity going on in today's world and the way airport security has beefed up since 911, you just have to wonder what was his motivation to attempt to board a plane with something weird or questionable. I think he definitely has some connections to some type of terrorist group. This whole thing sounds very strange and he bears watching. The FBI should keep tabs on him from now on to ensure he is not plotting anything.

ANother rush to judgement? This guy is a native of Jordan. I am sorry but if i am being pulled to the side and checked at the airport then this guy better be checked as well. Call it stereotyping but oh well it is not out fault. rush to judgement? that is hillarious--this guy had an alarm clock connected to a laptopn with shoes running to it. I'm glad he went through this trouble. Maybe next time people will not be so stupid in an airport.

This was a dry run to see how far he could get, obviously to far. Fire the cop, and the airline should pay a fine.

Yes shame on the trucking company who fires the guy who fits the profile of a terrorist, and walks through security with an old laptop with a timer attached to it. Absolutely shame on you let him drive trucks over bridges and park them infront of a busy office building Hello are any of you who think that the airport security or trucking company are wrong from NYC, Washington D.C. or Pennsylvania???? Or maybe you are related to one of the almost 3,000 people who lost their lives on 9/11 because of people carrying pocket knives, guns, and makeshift bombs. People you need to WAKE UP if these airport security didn't stop this guy and he was a terrorist look at the indigent comments you would be writing about how lazy and stupid these people were not to know this guy was a terrorist - he fits the profile and hello a laptop claiming to be an alarm clock.
I agree go to Wal-mart get a wind up alarm clock for $7.00.

Bad choices by the passanger, but no crime committed. Unless there were other issues, he shouldn't have been fired.

The TSA doesn't know who to call if they have a suspect in custody? What kind of operation are they running there?

I hate to say it, but after 4+ years of mindfully packing the fingernail clippers in my checked baggage when flying, I have little sympathy for the guy.

We don't know why he was fired from his job. It seems all are assuming that it was because of this less than smart action. It may have been for good cause, and this was a final straw. Don't jump to conclusions. In today's day and age, anyone who does something like this is at best not too bright.

Why is everyone thinking that the officer should be let go, for determining independently that the gentleman in question posed no threat, and that the whole thing was a false alarm? I should rather applaud his genius, for reaching a CORRECT conclusion rather promptly, a conclusion later verified by the FBI. A second question might be whether or not the airport screeners unnecessarily troubled a poor innocent traveler by not accepting the decision of a trained officer, and vainly pressing charges further. Do we consider it RESPONSIBLE to DISTRUST persons of authority now?

Truly, HPD at it's finest.

Are you people kidding? Did you see what he was trying to get on the plane with? I think the comment re: the ski mask example was right on. Justification of this idiots behavior and condemnation of him being fired for such a ridiculous act are comical and predictable.

Unbelievable! Some of the posts on here are just beyond belief. It shows the level of stupidity among us when there are this many people willing to believe a man made a cheap alarm clock out of an old computer, timer, and battery ... and proceeded to attempt to board a plane. And on top of this, he refused to be searched! What is wrong with you people that you are so blind?! You're just plane drugged!

Thats the problems you run into now post 911. At all costs you have to protect America. Even if you have to stereotype people. Thats the name of the game. You have to look out for number one here, and number 1 is America. Plus, why does he even have a computer like that and weird shoes. Get Real Poeple!!!

I THINK WE SHOULD DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO PREVENT FUTURE ATTACK'S
......... BUT TO LEAVE A MAN THAT WAS CLEARLY INNCENT OR JUST HAVE NO BRAINS AT ALL WITH HIS ACTION
JOBLESS AND FROM WHAT I'M READING HE'S A TERRORIST IN ALMOST EVERY BODY'S MIND ....WELL WE JUST LOST THE ONLY THING THAT AMERICAN'S HAVE
THAT NO BODY ELS IN THIS WORLD HAVE IS FREEDOM AND JUSTICE FOR ALL

Stephan writes: "But the employer, that is just wrong. Since when do we condemn a person before the facts are in."

Ironic huh? You're condemning the employer before the facts are in. How do we know why the guy got fired?Plus, we are only hearing his side of it and who knows what agenda this guy has.

ON ANOTHER NOTE: There's no implication that people jumped to any conclusions whatsoever. A guy lied or mispoke to a screener and then had a battery wired to a laptop (which he said he didn't have). Where's the racism and profiling? Would it have been racism if a white guy was stopped under these same circumstances? Hell no and it's not in this case. Yes, the guy fit a profile --- a moron with a battery wired to a laptop, who lied to a screener AND was middle easter with bad shoes... it adds up to at least an investigation.