How the underwear bomber got through

[Jenn]

Comment: The claim is that this is a cell phone picture of the security guard's
computer at the gate the underwear bomber got thru in Europe. I am pretty
sure it is a photo of some security checkpoint with the screen display of
solitaire photoshopped in.

[Dactyl]

For starters Schipol Airport is unlikely to have a sign starting with "NO". "Verboden" would be more likely.

I've actually been through Schipol loads of times but can't remember off hand what the security areas look like.

[Ariadne]

If I recall, most of the signs in Schiphol are in English.

But really, who plays Solitaire anymore? Farmville is much more likely.

[Mateus]

The partial wording on the green security rope leads me to think that this is Lamezia Airport.

[Chloe]

I thought the point was that he went through Nigerian security, but not Dutch.

[lord_feldon]

Even if it's a real picture, solitaire isn't exactly a game where you need to give your undivided attention, and there can be a lulls at a security checkpoint where they're just going to be standing around waiting for someone to come though.

ETA: It doesn't really look like a security checkpoint now that I look at it.

[Jenn]

I don't find it terribly damning. There can be a lot of downtime at an airport gate for the staff as well as the passengers, and having a window of solitaire open is a lot more subtle than reading a book.

[snopes]

Originally Posted by Dactyl

For starters Schipol Airport is unlikely to have a sign starting with "NO".

Maybe it's the beginning of a WANTED poster: "noch flüchtig."

[Dactyl]

Originally Posted by snopes

Maybe it's the beginning of a WANTED poster: "noch flüchtig."

Unfortunately my Dutch is pretty much limited to "Waar is de kaas?"

[Joostik]

Originally Posted by snopes

Maybe it's the beginning of a WANTED poster: "noch flüchtig."

We don't have many German signs either. If anything it could have been "Nooduitgang" (Emergency Exit).

[Mycroft]

I agree; picture on monitor is photoshopped in, but it doesn't look like a security point. The passengers have their travel documents ready but are not getting ready to put hand luggage/metal items trough the X-Ray whilst they go through the metal detector arch. On an anecdotal note, I had to change planes at Schipol about 12 years ago (ie before 9/11) and the 2 gates were at different areas of the airport so that I had to go through security. I was carrying a book at the time and they actually searched that (in slight contrast the only security when I arrived in the US was drug dogs at the exit (as I had just come from Amsterdam)

[Dactyl]

Thinking about it, they definitely do have Dutch signs at Schipol as I remember seeing a sign which said "Alle baggage is gelost" and mistranslating it as "All baggage is lost".