Lasers: the new weapons of mass destruction

Forget box cutters and suicide missions. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security say that terrorists may try using lasers to blind pilots and down aircraft. In fact, one may have already been used: in September, a pilot for Delta Air Lines reported receiving an eye injury from a suspected laser beam shone into the cockpit during a landing approach in Salt Lake City.

Besides making it hard for pilots to see so they can land their planes, lasers can severely damage the eye by burning the retina. And, like box cutters, lasers are inexpensive, portable, easy to conceal, and readily available on the open market.

Of course, every kid knows you can achieve the same effect with a pocket-sized mirror...

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/09/terrorist.laser.ap/index.html