So much for "Airport Security" . . . . . . .

[Duchess]

I'd be interested to know more about this 9 year old.

Does he have parents he lives with? Other relatives? Is there more to this? Was he instructed by adults to do what he did in order to test security? A trial run of sorts?

Hopefully all that questioning is taking place now.

Hogan said security footage showed the 9-year-old “waited until the person who was at the gate was busy, and that’s when he got on the plane.”

The TSA released a statement that said, “The child was screened along with all other passengers to ensure that he was not a threat to the aircraft."

A source close to the investigation told NBC News that the boy told a flight attendant that his parents were sitting in the back of the plane, but Hogan said the flight crew became suspicious at some point during the flight when they realized the boy “wasn’t on the roster” of children travelling alone.

When the plane landed, Hogan said, “The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Child Protective Services there took the child into custody and were arranging his return to Minneapolis.” As of Sunday, the boy remained in Las Vegas in Child Protective Services, according to the source.

The boy’s mother said she thought he was at a friend’s house and reported him missing, according to the source. Hogan said he was not listed as a runaway until after he had managed to travel to a different state.

The boy has behavioral problems and was recently suspended from school, the source said. Police at the airport were familiar with the 9-year-old because he had caused problems there before, the source added.

In fact, Hogan said security
footage and airport staff reports indicated the boy made an unaccompanied trip to the airport the day before his solo flight.

On both days, he arrived at the airport on light rail transit, said Hogan. On Wednesday, he visited baggage claim, took a bag that did not belong to him and had a bite to eat at a pre-security airport restaurant. He then told restaurant staff that he needed to use the bathroom and left the bag with them but did not return, Hogan said.

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