MIT electrical engineering sophomore Star Simpson was arrested at gunpoint today after showing up at Logan Airport to pick up her boyfriend. It seems the electronic artwork she was wearing on her sweatshirt looked like a bomb to an airline employee who has seen too many Hollywood movies. While the State Police quickly determined the circuit board was harmless they still insisted on charging her with Possession of a Hoax Device. It hard so see how they are going to make that stick since the statute clearly defines the offense as placing a device "with the intent to cause anxiety, unrest, fear or personal discomfort to any person or group of persons." According to The Tech, Suffolk District Attorney Wayne Margolis said during the arraignment that Simpson showed "a total disregard to understand the context of the situation she’s in, which is an airport post 9/11."
The Boston Globe incorrectly reported that Simpson was asked by the airport employee about the circuit board and walked away without responding. The Tech quoted Margolis as stating Simpson "said it was a piece of art" before walking away. Other press accounts sensationally headlined "MIT Student From Hawaii Arrested With Fake Bomb."
