I guess this hasn’t been a good day to be flying.

A stick of dynamite was found in a college student’s checked luggage on a Continental Airlines flight from Argentina, authorities said, in one of six security incidents Friday affecting U.S. flights.

Six?!?

So, is this a case of higher incidents, or is it just higher scrutiny and awareness catching the bizarre behavior that was missed in the past?

Still the dynamite story is too strange to believe.

Federal authorities were investigating why the student, who got off the Continental plane in Houston before it continued to Newark, N.J., had the explosive, FBI spokeswoman Shauna Dunlap said. She said the student did not appear to be connected to terrorism.

Houston Fire Department Assistant Chief Omero Longoria said the man told authorities he works in mining and often handles explosives. Longoria said federal officials were investigating whether the explanation was true.

Of course I’m glad that these recent cases have been stopped without incident. I do wonder why the first statement is always that there are no ties to terrorism.

I think we’ll see more of this rather than less over the next days and months.