In suitcase at LAX: Smoke grenade, leg irons ...

By Pete Williams, NBC News A Massachusetts man has been charged with illegally transporting a smoke grenade in his checked suitcase while returning from a trip to Japan. Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Yongda Huang Harris, 28, a naturalized U.S. citizen of Chinese descent, Friday in Los Angeles. He was flying from Japan, through South Korea and then Los Angeles, on his way to Boston. What alerted agents to check his suitcase?  It might have been the bullet-proof vest or the flame-retardant pants that he was wearing under his trench coat. According to ICE, a search of his checked bag turned up the smoke grenade as well as "three leather-coated billy clubs, a collapsible baton, a full-face respirator, various knives, a hatchet, body bags, a biohazard suit, handcuffs, leg irons, and a device to repel dogs." He appeared late Tuesday in federal court in Los Angeles. There's no thought he was a terrorist or was plotting to do anything on the various planes he was flying on, a federal official says. But transporting a smoke grenade is illegal. ICE isn't saying what airline allowed him to begin his journey. Court documents say his trip originated in Kansai, Japan, stopped over in Inchon, Korea, and then in Los Angeles on his way to Boston.  A federal official says the Japan to Korea flight was not on a U.S. carrier. Pete Williams is NBC News' chief justice correspondent.  More content from NBCNews.com: 'Warmest year' looking more likely for 2012 across continental US Jerry Sandusky's victims said to be largely satisfied with sex abuse sentence Gay Scouts come out, rally around teen's Eagle Scout bid 1 in 5 Americans is not religiously affiliated, survey finds Deadly crossing: Death toll rises among those desperate for American Dream Video: Mexican authorities arrest suspect in tourist murder Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Syria defector: I worked for a 'butcher'

Abdullah al-Omar: "Our job was to ... cover up for Bashar al-Assad's crimes" He defected and fled the Syrian capital last month He detailed some of the propaganda methods in a four-hour interview in Istanbul The Syrian president has grown increasingly irritable and anxious during the uprising, he says Istanbul (CNN) -- For years, Abdullah al-Omar rubbed shoulders with some of the most powerful people in Syria. In case there is any doubt, he is quick to show photos in his phone as proof. Scores of photographs show the corpulent Syrian beaming and shaking hands with government ministers, foreign dignitaries, and even the Syrian president. "He knew me by name," al-Omar said, pointing to a photo of himself standing with Bashar al-Assad. "One day we were sitting at a table and he fed me with his own hand and said to me, 'You love food since you are from Aleppo.' Then he said to his escort, 'Take special care of Abdullah al-Omar because he loves food and his stomach.'" Read more: Assad's lifelong friend speaks out Al-Omar claims that for five years he worked in the press office of the presidential palace in Damascus, as part of a 15-person team under the direction of long-time government spokeswoman and presidential adviser Bouthaina Shabaan. Tensions build in Syria Turkey-Syria ties strained by violence Rebels attack army barracks in Damascus Until he defected and fled the Syrian capital last month, al-Omar said, the bulk of his work consisted of lying. "Our job was to fabricate, make deceptions and cover up for Bashar al-Assad's crimes," he said. It is impossible to independently confirm al-Omar's claims. The fact that he freely admits to a career as a government propagandist makes him a somewhat unreliable whistle-blower. However, the editorial director of a pro-rebel media organization who asked not to be named for security reasons confirmed to CNN that he knows al-Omar worked for Syrian secret police. "He is the biggest informant for the Al Jawiya," the Syrian journalist said, referring to Syria's much-feared air force intelligence agency. "He was a very strong informant who worked for the palace and worked for Bouthaina (Shabaan)." During a four-hour interview in Istanbul, al-Omar described in detail some of the propaganda methods used by pro-government media. During the government's artillery bombardment of the rebel-held neighborhood of Baba Amr in the city of Homs, loyalist women were brought in and disguised as locals for government television interviews, he said. "The women would say that the massacres against men, women and children were perpetrated by armed gangs, when it was actually the Syrian regime, security forces and the Shabiha" -- the pro-government militia -- "who were behind these horrendous acts," al-Omar said. These claims are backed by the accounts of residents of Homs, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal at the hands of Syrian security forces. Read more: Who is arming Syrian conflict? "I remember that day as if it was yesterday, when state TV showed Assad parading through Baba Amr, not a single resident was from the area," said a native of Homs, now exiled to neighboring Lebanon. "They brought them from neighboring towns from the countryside so they could pretend he was getting a hero's welcome, that he was greeted as a beloved leader, when in reality everyone in Homs knew he was behind the destruction of every house and the killing of every innocent civilian on Homs and every other city in Syria." After protests erupted against the government in March 2011, al-Omar said, he was ordered to establish a pro-regime TV station in Aleppo. A commercial on a Syrian website shows al-Omar holding a microphone in front of a banner advertising "Al Aleppia TV." Journalists in Aleppo said the station was a cheaply run operation that broadcast over the Internet. One of Omar's assignments was to book pro-regime guests on his TV channel, as well as on larger international networks, to discredit defectors from the Syrian government. "We would contact regime loyalists from Lebanon or Syria to appear as guests on Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and other channels, to say these defectors are bad, corrupt, and not doing their jobs well." Asked how his former colleagues would react to his own defection, al-Omar said, "they will follow standard procedure and say Abdullah al-Omar has nothing to do with the press office, and doesn't work in the presidential palace, and that they never heard of me and that I descended from heaven just to smear the image of the regime. "But what will embarrass them," he continued, "is that I appear in a lot of pictures and videos, practically in all the press conferences for Bashar al-Assad and his official reception ceremonies." There is ample photographic evidence to back this claim. In more than a dozen photos, al-Omar is clearly seated at press conferences featuring al-Assad and a number of visiting heads of state, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Pictures also revealed al-Omar at the presidential palace and at what appear to be government receptions, posing alongside high-ranking officials like Shabaan, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, and top members of the Syrian parliament and ruling Baath political party. Read more: Damascus residents attempt 'normal life' Al-Omar was also photographed alongside regime allies such as Palestinian Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, the Iranian ambassadors to both Damascus and Beirut, and a bearded man al-Omar identified as the head of the politburo of Hezbollah. "The Iranians met with Bashar al-Assad almost daily," Omar said. "Iranian security officials, high-ranking officers of the Iranian revolutionary guard, a lot of high-ranking officers." In what may have been a breach of protocol, al-Omar also appeared in photos with former Lebanese President Emile Lahoud dressed in a shiny nylon track suit. Omar offered tantalizing -- and impossible to independently confirm-- details about the inner workings of the presidential palace. Throughout the bloody 19 months of the Syrian uprising, he said, the Syrian president grew increasingly irritable and anxious. Al-Omar described how al-Assad began nervously pacing the halls, and often stared out the windows of the hilltop palace down at the city of Damascus. "Three or four months into the revolution, he seemed more preoccupied and more anxious, rarely did we see him smiling," al-Omar recalled. "Sometimes we would see him do things with his head, hands or feet that are not appropriate for a president," he continued. "One day I saw him kicking a table and he was cursing and swearing against the people of Homs, Rastan and Daraa, and he verbally abused the Sunnis and the Syrian people in general." Al-Omar said al-Assad worked out of an office about 30 meters down the corridor from the room where the press department was stationed. He claimed the beleaguered president was obsessed with foreign media coverage of Syria. "Bashar al-Assad has 16 TV screens in the meeting room, in his office, and also in the press office," the defector said. "Most news channels on the top row of the TV screens were Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, BBC, CNN. ... He considered media people his first enemy. He hated them more than the revolution of the Free Syrian Army, especially the foreign reporters who enter Syria, because these were people who were showing the true picture and truth about what's happening in Syria. ... "He would get very angry and swear, cursing the secret police and security forces saying, why can't they find out where these reporters are, capture them and 'bring them to me so that I can kill them.'" There is no way to confirm al-Omar's claims, but several foreign reporters have lost their lives in Syria this year. Read more: Wounded UK journalist blasts butchery Veteran war correspondent Marie Colvin and photographer Remi Ochlik were killed by government artillery fire in Homs in February. They were among the first of a growing number of foreign journalists killed and wounded after entering Syria to report without government permission. Meanwhile, the Syrian government has also held several foreign reporters in captivity for protracted periods without acknowledging their presence. With the help of Iranian mediation, Syrian authorities released Turkish journalists Adem Ozkose and Hamit Coskun in May, nearly two months after they disappeared in northern Syria. The U.S. State Department recently announced that an American freelance reporter named Austin Tice is also believed to be in Syrian government hands. Tice disappeared in Syria last August. Meanwhile, a campaign has been organized in Turkey to lobby for the release of Cuneyt Unal, a Turkish cameraman who was captured in Syria and paraded on government television last August. Amid efforts to crack down on voices of dissent as well as the growing armed insurgency, the presidential palace was not immune to danger, al-Omar said. The biggest crisis took place in July, when a bomb killed four top security officials from the national crisis management bureau. Among the dead was presidential security adviser Hassan Turkmani, a stern-faced man with a mustache who was shown in several photographs standing alongside al-Omar. Al-Omar claimed al-Assad narrowly missed the bombing by a few minutes. He also said Maher al-Assad, a top military commander and brother to the Syrian president, was gravely wounded in the bombing. He also claimed Maher al-Assad was transported to Russia for treatment. When contacted by CNN, the Russian government did not immediately respond to al-Omar's allegation. "Two days after he returned from medical treatment in Russia, Maher al-Assad came to the presidential palace," al-Omar said. "He had lost his left leg in the bombing and also the use of his left arm." The president's brother has not been seen in public since the bombing. Shortly after the attack, diplomatic sources were saying Maher al-Assad had been badly wounded. Read more: Syrian children forced to hold school in a cave Al-Omar's motives for abandoning his position near the seat of power are not entirely clear. It could be self-preservation. According to reports on several Syrian websites, al-Omar survived an attack in Aleppo by "armed terrorists" in 2011. Asked about the incident, the normally voluble al-Omar declined to comment. Instead, the former propagandist said the turning point came last month, when he drove through his hometown of Atareb in the north of the country. "I swear I cried when I entered Atareb and saw that all the houses and shops were abandoned, everything was destroyed and burned," al-Omar said. During a visit to Atareb last August, CNN journalists saw a virtual ghost town of ruined buildings devastated by months of fighting between regime forces and rebels. "I never thought the situation was so bad, I just saw things on TV," al-Omar continued as his eyes filled with tears. "When I saw these things with my own eyes I cried, 'How can Bashar al-Assad do this? ... I apologize to the Syrian people, because I worked at some point with this butcher and killer regime." It was a tearful, emotional apology from a Syrian who had spent years working his way into the halls of power. But his sincerity was questionable, coming from a man who admitted to spending years lying for the Syrian regime. Journalist Ammar Cheikh Omar contributed to this report.

Polls are snapshots, but impact lasts

Polls are snapshots in time, yet the impact lasts longer Polls differ depending on what's asked, who's asked, and when questions are asked Voter opinions influenced by media attention on the numbers Washington (CNN) -- Treating presidential polls as gospel is a little like placing political faith in the lifespan of a fruit fly. "People tend to subscribe a more durable nature to polling data," said Russ Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University. "It's more ephemeral." That's because polls, as those who conduct them stress, are simply snapshots. For example, two national polls released Monday suggested Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney got a big bounce from last week's first presidential debate -- viewed across the political spectrum as a victory for him. Two very different polls in battle for White House A Pew Research Center survey showed Romney taking a 49%-45% lead over President Barack Obama after trailing by similar margins for weeks. The Pew survey was conducted over the four days following the October 3 debate. Gallup's daily tracking poll of registered voters, which draws its numbers from a seven-day average, indicated the five-point gap that Obama held before the debate had closed to three. But Romney drew even at 47%-47% if only the daily numbers from the days after the debate were used. Pundits whip themselves up with every move in the polls, political experts say. And that leads to a climate in which even slight shifts in data that are well within the margin of error influence both coverage and conversation. There was no doubt that Romney's strong debate performance -- or Obama's weak showing -- impacted the numbers. And the headlines and chatter following the polls concentrated on Romney's apparent surge. Some pundits reacted strongly. "The Pew poll is devastating, just devastating," Daily Beast blogger Andrew Sullivan wrote under the headline, "Did Obama Just Throw the Entire Election Away?" Others were more restrained. "I'm not sure I would look at this Pew poll alone without the broader context of data," New York Times blogger Nate Silver said Monday on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight." "We've seen some other polls ... for example, the Gallup tracking polls actually move slightly toward Obama, so right now it's close enough that you're going to have some polls showing a lead for either candidate and that makes it more dramatic and makes for big headlines but we think the consensus of data shows what will probably settle into being a very narrow lead for President Obama, probably one or two points on average, that is an educated guess." Silver said it's not just pundits who feed on movement in polls. The campaigns feed the frenzy by pushing them -- when they like the results. Obama above 50% in some battleground polls "I saw some Democrats in my Twitter feed complaining about the Pew poll when they were lauding it, of course, when they had Obama up by seven," Silver said. "I think we have a tendency now in our culture to just get rid of data we don't like. But what I do try to do is look at what all the polls say and you see some where Romney has got a gigantic bounce, some where you haven't seen much of a bounce at all on average." An Obama campaign official pointed to a shift in the party identification percentages used in Pew's mid-September poll compared to the poll released Monday. The earlier comprised 39% Democrats, 29% Republicans and 30% independents, while Monday's poll included 31% Democrats, 36% Republicans and 30% independents. "This is far bigger than any one-month change in party ID ever reported by Pew in the past," the Obama campaign official said. A Romney campaign official said the GOP effort was "encouraged by the enthusiasm we are seeing from supporters who are energized, as well as undecided voters who are now giving the governor a new look." They are "continuing to work hard to bring home persuadable voters," the official said. Analysis: Polling criticism unfounded Just a few weeks earlier, Romney's campaign dismissed the impact of public polling data showing Obama building on leads. "Polls go up and down, but frankly you're going to see the support that I need to become president on Election Day," Romney told CNN a week before the debate. Those on the sidelines are more influenced by the subsequent deluge of media coverage, said Michele Swers, a political science professor at Georgetown University. "There's a general mood that's created," Swers said. "Right now there's more coverage of these polls regarding the debate than the September jobs numbers." Placing such a heavy emphasis on polls, she said, has a general impact on the mood of the voter. Polls may make for great stories, but voters should be wary of the hype. It's important to be a sophisticated consumer of polls and ask "what does that number mean," said Marc Hetherington, a political science professor at Vanderbilt University "If you were able to poll voters on what they think about polls they'd think they're crazy," Hetherington, said. "The idea that 1,000-1500 people can make a prediction on what people think in the country is crazy." Jim Acosta, Dan Lothian and Paul Steinhauser

Abu Hamza pleads not guilty to terrorism in US

Jane Rosenberg / Reuters In this courtroom sketch, Islamist cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri is seen standing with his lawyer Jeremy Schneider in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, where he pleaded not guilty to criminal charges on Tuesday. By NBC News staff and wire services An extremist preacher accused of terrorism by the U.S. government pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges related to conspiring with Seattle men to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon. Egyptian-born Abu Hamza al-Masri, indicted under that name Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, is accused of providing material support to al-Qaida network by trying to set up a terrorist training camp in Bly, Ore., in 1999 and of attempting to organize support for the Taliban in Afghanistan. Hamza is also charged with helping abduct 16 hostages — including two Americans — in Yemen in 1998; three Britons and an Australian were killed. After Hamza's plea, U.S. District Judge Katherine B. Forrest set the 54-year-old's trial to begin Aug. 26, 2013, The Associated Press reported. Previous story: Abu Hamza, 4 others tied to al-Qaida arrive in US to face terrorism charges Hamza, a British citizen, is known for turning London's Finsbury Park Mosque into a training ground for extremist Islamists, including Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and "shoe bomber" Richard Reid. Hamza had been jailed in Britain since 2004 on separate charges. He was flown late on Friday to the United States along with four other men also wanted on U.S. terrorism charges. Hamza could face up to life in prison if convicted on the charges. He reportedly has unusual needs in prison: He is missing an eye, he has lost part of each of his arms, and lawyers in England said he suffers from diabetes, depression and chronic sleep deprivation. Earlier Tuesday, the trial date for two of the other men brought from England — Khaled al-Fawwaz and Adel Abdul Bary — was set for October 2013. Al-Fawwaz and Bary are charged with participating in the bombings of embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in August 1998. The two were indicted in a case that also charged Osama bin Laden. Both al-Fawwaz and Bary have pleaded not guilty. This article includes reporting by The Associated Press and Reuters. More world stories from NBC News: Deadly crossing: Death toll rises among those desperate for American Dream More weapons in Syria could trigger 'all-out war' Hong Kong residents unhappy after US allows visa-free travel for Taiwanese Romney: Risk of conflict higher in Mideast after Obama policies NBC's Kerry Sanders answers questions about Chavez's re-election Thai princess clears shelves during 8-hour, $40,000 UK antique shopping spree 'It was an artistic statement': Vandal tags Mark Rothko painting at London museum Snipers, commandos to welcome Germany's tough-talking Merkel in Greece Stay informed: Sign up for our newsletter Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Meningitis outbreak kills 11

The outbreak of a rare form of meningitis is noncontagious, the CDC says The death toll rises to 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says The outbreak is linked to contaminated steroid injections (CNN) -- A rare, noncontagious form of meningitis has claimed 11 lives and sickened 119 people, an increase from the eight deaths and 105 illnesses previously reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. The outbreak is linked to contaminated steroid injections, and as many as 13,000 people may have received the medicine between May 21 and September 24, the CDC said. The number of reported cases grew significantly in recent days as federal and state authorities continued to investigate the outbreak. Tennessee is the hardest-hit state, with 35 infections and four deaths, according to the CDC. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta contributed to this report.

Body identified: Missing grad student

By Jeff Black, NBC News Updated at 10 p.m. ET: For the second straight day, a body has been dragged from the Charles River in Boston. Officials have determined the body is that of Jonathan Dailey, an architecture student from North Carolina who had been reported missing, the Boston Globe reported. His body was spotted around 7:25 a.m. by a Boston University rowing coach on Tuesday, NBC station WHDH reported. A law enforcement officer told the Globe that the body was wrapped in chains and weighted down by a concrete block. Dailey's family was asked to provide dental records to confirm the body was his, the Boston Herald reported. Dailey, a graduate student at Boston Architectural College, vanished without a trace a week ago, leaving behind his driver's license, computer and clothes. The punctual student also failed to show up for his job at a Cambridge clothing shop on Friday. Fate of missing Boston grad student Jonathan Daily baffles family, friends Since then, friends have set up a Facebook page to help find him. Family members traveled from North Carolina this week to assist in the search, and they offered a $5,000 reward for information for his return. Dailey's roommate Miles Smith, the last person known to have seen him, told the Herald that detectives told him the body was so decomposed that the person's gender couldn't even be identified. Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com The body of a 62-year-old man was discovered Monday in the river by two Boston University employees. The identity of that person has not been determined. More content from NBCNews.com: Jerry Sandusky gets 30 to 60 years for child sex abuse Cook County, Ill., considers 'violence tax' on guns, ammo 1 in 5 Americans are not religiously affiliated, survey finds Deadly crossing: Death toll rises among those desperate for American Dream Military suicides: Defense officials spending $10 million to learn if fish oil can help Video: Mexican authorities arrest suspect in tourist murder Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Logic and reason prevail in Sandusky sentencing

By Wes Oliver, Special to NBC News ANALYSIS Courtrooms are in many ways public theaters. Parties come to court to resolve disputes, but there's another aspect to their work. They also show how the power of the state is appropriately used. When the conflicting parties are the state and a criminal defendant, courts explain why punishment is just.  Wes Oliver is a law professor and director of the Criminal Justice Program at the Duquesne University School of Law. In Bellefonte, Pa., on Tuesday we saw just that public function at work in Jerry Sandusky's sentencing hearing. The practical effect of any sentence Judge John Cleland could have handed down was not in doubt. It was clear going into this hearing that Sandusky would get life.  The sentencing hearing was thus an opportunity for society to express its outrage at the crime committed, for the defendant to respond to the public, and for the judge to explain the sentence.  Prosecutor Joe McGettigen and three of the victims very powerfully described the harm Sandusky inflicted. McGettigen spoke in a measured way, noting that Sandusky's roles at Penn State and with the Second Mile charity provided a cloak for his real goal of molesting children.  The victims who spoke were all clearly emotional, but were measured in their combination of anger and sadness.  Their impact was profound, but not in a way that could have affected the sentence.  In some ways their statements had a more profound meaning than adding five, 10, or even 100 years to this life sentence. This forum provided them an opportunity to tell their abuser, with the support of the community and the apparatus of the state, how his crimes affected them.  This was a vehicle for them to express their outrage.   This was also an opportunity for Sandusky to respond to the community's condemnation. His rambling remarks, however, appeared to be an unsuccessful effort by an emotionally unstable man to preserve his legacy. At one point Sandusky stated, "I've been kissed by dogs. I've been bitten by dogs." At another point he invoked both the words of Martin Luther King Jr., and the words of Scripture.  "I've been to the mountain top," he said.  "I've seen the valley of the shadow of death." At other times, he seemed to be spouting poetry about prison life. Judge Cleland's remarks quite appropriately explained society's reasons for sentencing Sandusky as he did. His sentence needed to protect the community, reflect the gravity of the crimes, the defendant's hope for rehabilitation, and the effect of the crimes on the community. As expected, his sentence demonstrated his interest in appearing measured and thoughtful even in punishing a serious offender. Even speaking about a sentence of dozens of years for a 68 year old man was nonsensical, he noted, observing that there is "no place in the law for sentences to be an instrument of vengeance."  But Cleland needed to express the community's outrage, which he did masterfully. He noted that Sandusky betrayed those who trusted him, that his crimes were an "assault to their psyches and souls."  The entire proceeding struck exactly the right tone. Unlike the post-verdict celebration, Tuesday's sentencing appropriately reflected the outrage of the victims and the community and left the impression that the legal process is one of logic and reason, not passion and vengeance. More content from NBCNews.com: Jerry Sandusky gets 30 to 60 years for child sex abuse Cook County, Ill., considers 'violence tax' on guns, ammo 1 in 5 Americans are not religiously affiliated, survey finds Deadly crossing: Death toll rises among those desperate for American Dream Military suicides: Defense officials spending $10 million to learn if fish oil can help Florida man dies after winning cockroach-eating contest Video: Mexican authorities arrest suspect in tourist murder Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook