One wonders how a man dressed in a bulletproof vest and fire-resistant pants and travelling with a smoke grenade, gas mask, leg irons and weapons managed to fly from Japan to Los Angeles via Seoul unmolested.

Yongda Huang Harris, 28, a US citizen was arrested on Friday 5th October, 2012 ta Los Angeles airport, on “suspicion of transporting hazardous materials “, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. In his checked luggage, Harris was carrying knives, body bags, a hatchet, a collapsible baton, a biohazard suit, a full-face respirator, billy clubs, a respirator, handcuffs, leg irons and a device to repel dogs (pictured below).

His lawyer said that the “peculiar attire donned by his client was simply a fashion statement shared by young people in Japan”. Mr Harris, a graduate of Boston University had been teaching English in Japan.  The lawyer also said the arsenal of weapons was only for self-protection, as Mr Harris had been previously mugged on a Boston street. The Federal authorities claimed that the suspect also had a video entitled “Schoolgirls in Cement,” and a publication which shows how to hunt and trap humans.

The question has yet to be answered: How was this guy allowed onto a plane? Interestingly, it seems,  the smoke grenade is the only thing prohibited on passenger aircraft.  The knives and other items are indeed permissible -in checked bags. His lawyer was saying: this is merely an unusual hobby.