Three BBC interviews about DHS security enhancements for selected flights from Europe to the US

On July 2, 2014, the Department of Homeland security directed the TSA to implement enhanced security measures at certain overseas airports with direct flights to the United States. These changes were in response to intelligence information that suggested that one or more groups were attempting to detonate explosive devices on one or more aircraft traveling from the US from Europe. These measures were being implemented in the UK, and in other countries, though TSA and Homeland Security did not go into further details.

The Standard newspaper in the UK reported that the threat may be from “stealth” bombs that can't be detected using the screening technologies commonly used by airports. Other media outlets speculate that the devices may be built into specific mobile phone models, or that the people carrying these devices may be passport holders from the US and other western countries. However, this is speculation that has not been either confirmed or denied by official sources in the US and elsewhere.

On July 2nd and 3rd, Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com was interviewed several times by the BBC about several issues that were raised by this latest security situation.

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Interview on Rudy Maxa's World
Todd Curtis was also interviewed on this issue on July 5, 2014 on Rudy Maxa's World.

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Interview on July 7, 2014 with the Wall Srteet Journal

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You can also find additional airline security information at http://security.airsafe.com, or at the following links:

• Airport Security Issues
• Prohibited and restricted items
• AirSafe.com air travel guides

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CBS Radio Interview about Suspicious Passengers

Dr. Curtis was interviewed by CBS Radio News about the August 2010 detention of two passengers in Amsterdam on suspicion of being involved in some kind of terror related event. The passengers were later released because they had done nothing wrong.

On August 30th, 2010, two men, Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al-Soofi and Hezam al-Murisi, who were both on their way to Yemen from the US, were arrested in Amsterdam after they had arrived on a flight from Chicago. They were arrested because they were suspected to be part of some kind of terror related activity, perhaps a dry run for an attempted bombing of an aircraft.

Al-Soofi had raised suspicion earlier in the day prior to his flight from Birmingham, Alabama to Chicago. After being chosen for additional screening, authorities found that he was carrying $7,000 in cash, and in his checked luggage were a cell phone taped to a small bottle, multiple cell phones and watches taped together, a knife, and a box cutter. Al-Soofi had violated no laws or regulations, so he was allowed to continue.

Later in Chicago, he had changed his flight, and his checked bags ended up going on a different flight. Coincidentally, Hezam al-Murisi, who also changed his flight to to one carrying Al-Soofi, also had his bags going on a different flight. US authorities asked Dutch authorities to detain the men, and they were both arrested after arriving in Amsterdam.

The CBS interview covered several subjects including whether the behavior of these passengers should have aroused suspicions. At the time of the interview, early reports suggested that they were traveling together. In fact, while the two were on the same flight out of Chicago, they did not know each other and were traveling independently, with only Al-Soofi starting his trip in Birmingham.

The Dutch authorities soon released both men, and dropped all charges. In short, although what the two men did during their trip looked unusual or even suspicious, they had done nothing wrong, and had broken no law or violated any regulation. The lesson to take away from this episode is that the US authorities, including TSA and Homeland Security, may be inclined to take all kinds of precautionary actions, including detaining passengers, if they suspect that someone is attempting to bring harm to an airplane flight.

Should passengers change their behavior to keep from being hassled? According to Dr. Curtis, that is a personal decision best left to individual passengers. In his opinion, you're free to act as suspicious as you want, just keep in mind that the price of freedom is an increased chance of being hassled or even detained.

Listen to the interview (10:19)

Related AirSafeNews.com Articles
AirSafeNews.com article on the attempted bombing
Description of four key US terrorist and TSA security databases
BBC interview with AirSafeNews.com's Dr. Todd Curtis

Air Marshal Subdues Suspicious Passenger on Washington to Denver Flight

April 7, 2010, 10:16 pm EDT - Early news reports indicated that a Federal Air Marshal subdued a passenger on United flight 663 during a Washington (DCA) to Denver flight after a passenger reportedly behaved oddly and claimed to have attempted to ignite some kind of device. The 757, which was carrying 157 passengers and six crew members, landed at Denver at about 7 p.m. local time without further incident, and there were no reports of any injuries.

About half an hour before landing, a passenger had been in the lavatory for some period of time, and was approached by an air marshal because of a smell of smoke. The passenger allegedly told an air marshal that he was a Qatari diplomat, and when asked what he was doing remarked that he had been trying to set his shoes on fire. The diplomat was later identified by CNN as Mohammaed Al-Madadi. The US State Department's Diplomatic List for Qatar lists a Mohammed Yaaqob Y.M. Al Madadi with the title of Third Secretary. No official source has confirmed that this was the person taken into custody on the incident flight.

The flight crew was notified, and NORAD scrambled two USAF F-16s that intercepted the airliner at about 6:45 p.m. and escorted the plane to Denver. Officials took the passenger into custody and interviewed the other passengers on the flight. There were no explosives or other dangerous articles found.

The 27-year-old diplomat was not charged, and was later released and allowed to return to Washington, DC.

Message from the Qatari Ambassador
Within hours of the incident, the Qatari ambassador to the US, Ali bin Fahad Al-Hajri, made the following statement:

Press reports today regarding an incident aboard a commercial flight from Washington, DC to Denver, CO indicate that a Qatari diplomat was detained for suspicious behavior.  We respect the necessity of special security precautions involving air travel, but this diplomat was traveling to Denver on official embassy business on my instructions, and he was certainly not engaged in any threatening activity.  the facts will reveal that this was a mistake, and we urge all concerned parties to avoid reckless judgments or speculation.

For a detailed timeline of this flight, check out this Atlantic magazine article.

GAO recommends cost and benefit analysis for new scanners

The failed attempted bombing of Northwest flight 253 last Christmas, highlighted the reality that in spite of all of the security measures implemented since 9/11 and the attack by convicted shoe bomber Richard Reid, that someone could still get past those measures and get a bomb on board a US airliner.

One response of the US government was to speed up the delivery of full body scanners to airports around the country, with plans to install about 300 by the end of 2010. While the scanners may be capable at finding explosives hidden under their clothing, a key issue is whether this effort, which may cost several billion dollars, is effective and reliable enough to justify the costs.

Role of the GAO
The General Accountability Office (GAO), a US government organization which examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to the US Congress, reviewed recent efforts to put advanced imaging technologies in US airports, specifically the full body scanners, to help find hidden items under a passenger's clothing.

TSA policy changers after the Christmas attack
After the Christmas bombing attempt, the TSA made two major policy changes. First, to increase the number of planned full body scanners from 878 to about 1,800, and second, to use these scanners as a primary screening device whenever feasible rather than as a secondary screening. Full deployment would not occur until 2014, and even then, these advanced scanners would only be available at about 60% of the checkpoint lanes of the US airports with the three highest TSA security categories.

To give you an idea of how limited this coverage would be, the TSA is responsible for security at about 450 airports, and according to a 2007 GAO report, less than 40% of all airports are in these three highest categories, and nearly 300 smaller airports are in the two less sensitive security categories.

Costs and benefit analysis not done
The most recent report, plus the earlier report from 2007, provided several important insights into the the use of the advanced screening technologies:

• Advanced imaging systems will not be fully deployed for at least three years
  
  
• When fully deployed, they will be only in a fraction of airports
  
  
• In the airports with these new scanners, not all passengers will be screened using these advanced technologies

Perhaps the most important point made by this report was one that there has not yet been a cost and benefit analysis done for these new technologies. While the rush to do something to prevent airborne bombers appears to have been done with the best of intentions, it seems sensible that someone should review whether this effort will be effective, especially given the expense involved with getting it done.

KPAM Radio Interview about Security Procedures and the Role of Air Marshals

Dr. Curtis was interviewed by KPAM radio in Portland, Oregon where he discussed three recent security events, including two situations where the behavior of unruly passengers led to the military escorting the airliners with fighter jets. Dr. Curtis also discusses several issues around the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas day 2009, including the role of air marshals. The following interview was first aired on 23 January 2010.

Listen to the interview (6:00)

Related AirSafeNews.com Articles
AirSafeNews.com article on the attempted bombing
Description of four key US terrorist and TSA security databases
BBC interview with AirSafeNews.com's Dr. Todd Curtis

Senate Holds Hearings on Airline Security and Leadership Issues at TSA

Yesterday, a US Senate committee with jurisdiction over held a hearing on hearing on aviation security and the recent attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253 near Detroit. The hearing, titled "The State of Aviation Security - Is Our Current System Capable of Meeting the Threat?" included witness statements from Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, and Micheal Leiter, the Director of the US National Counterterrorism Center .

This hearing is only the beginning of what the committee chair believes will be about a year-long review by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. While it isn't clear what changes, if any, will come about as a direct result of this committee's work, it will provide the public with an idea of the political and policy issues that will shape how the US government deals with current threats to the US air transportation system.

In a related development on the same day as the hearing, Erroll Southers, the candidate to head the Transportation Security Administration, one of the lead organizations in the US that deals with threats to the air transportation system, quietly withdrew his name from consideration for the post, further complicating the Obama administrations efforts to deal with potential threats to aircraft.

Related Resources
Press release with a summary of the hearing
Remarks by the committee chair
Webcast of the hearing
Erroll Southers interview with Foreign Policy magazine

New Security Measures in Effect for International Flights

As of January 4th, the US government started new security requirements for international flights with a US destination. While some of the measures are temporary, others may be more permanent.

Travelers Subject to Enhanced Screening
The TSA is requiring that everyone flying into the US who is either traveling from or traveling through nations considered to be are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening. At present, those countries include Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

This may not represent much of a change. In the security procedures manual that was accidentally released to the public by the TSA last year, on page 81 it listed 12 countries whose citizens were subject to additional screening. Of the 14 listed above, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia were not listed in the earlier procedures manual, and North Korea, which was listed in the procedures manual, was not listed in last week's announcement.

Changes in Prohibited Items
Security requirements for passengers departing US airports remain the same, but additional security measures may be used. TSA will continue to permit prescription liquid medications and other liquids needed by persons with disabilities and medical conditions.

The TSA has stated that passengers wearing loose fitting or bulky clothing, including headwear, may be subject to additional screening. If a passengers chooses not to remove bulky clothing or headwear, they may be subject to a pat down search.

When to Arrive at the Airport
The TSA advises passengers on international flights bound to the US allow additional time to get through security, and to check in with their airport or airline for more specific advice.

Other Security Changes
While some changes were required by TSA, individual airlines may have additional rules or restrictions. Some of the ones reported in the last week include turning off electronic equipment remaining seated during an extended period before landing, keeping laps clear of items such as blankets for large portions of the flight, and additional restrictions on when the lavatories can be used. TSA does not manage security for airports outside of US territory, so each country may have additional restrictions and requirements.

Canadian Airports Put on High Alert
Last Saturday, Canadian airports were put on heightened alert after Transport Canada received credible evidence of a new terrorist threat. A member of the AirSafeNews.com audience who traveled from Canada to the US in the last couple of days said that in addition to a pat down search and a search of carry on bags, laptop bags with wheels were not allowed on board. While it may have been to prevent travelers from claiming that a bag was a laptop bag and not a carry on, the rule has also been enforced for true laptop cases that happen to have wheels. This new rule forced the person who submitted this report to exit the secure area, spend $140 for a new laptop case, and clear customs a second time.

Additional Resources
Permitted and Prohibited Items

Why the TSA Can't Eliminate the Threat from Bombs

In the wake of last month's attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines A330, the US government has taken several steps which were intended to reduce the risk of someone else getting on an airplane with a bomb. While steps like these will reduce the risk, it will not eliminate the risk.

How Safe is Safe Enough?
When it comes to bombs on an airplane, the average passenger would consider the situation safe enough if the probability of a bomb on board an airplane were zero, but the reality of the situation is that as long as people have a desire to blow up airplanes full of passengers, steps can be taken to make flying safer by reducing that probability, but as long as there are airliners flying, the probability can't be eliminated.

Risk Management and Airline Security
Risk can be defined as the probability of some undesirable event like a bomb exploding on an airplane. Risk management is the process of reducing risk by either reducing the probability of an event or reducing the severity of the event. The steps taken by the US government are risk management steps that may reduce the likelihood that a bomb will be exploded on an airplane, but none of these steps are 100% effective.

How Airline Security Works
The short story is that there are multiple things that can be done to stop bombings, hijackings, sabotage, and other mayhem out of the skies. Passenger screening at the airport is one of the things that everyone can see, and there is much more that is not so visible, from bomb-sniffing dogs to terrorists watch lists. There are many procedures and systems in place because no one system or procedure can prevent every attempt to bring down an airplane. For an example, you can look at one part of the US government's response to the Christmas day bombing event, placing advanced screening systems in US airports.

Advanced Imaging Units Deployed to US Airports
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it would was adding at least 300 advanced imaging units throughout the United States by the end of 2010. This technology produces a full body scan that would show a graphic image of a person's body underneath his or her clothes. Had one of these devices been used to screen the alleged bomber, it would have presumably detected the the explosive device hidden under his clothes.

Sample Image from a Full Body Scan Device

How the Technology Was Used in 2009
While these detection systems may be useful, the way that they have been deployed in the past and the way that they will be deployed in the near future guarantee that not all passengers will be screened using these systems. The Transportation Security Administration provided a detailed overview of how 40 of these units were used in they were deployed in 2009 at 19 US airports. They were used as a primary screening method at only six airports, and as a secondary screening method at the 13 other airports. TSA plans to install hundreds more this year, but not all US airports will have this option available.

Why this Method Can't Be 100% Effective
In addition and plans to deploy at least 300 additional units in 2010. Even if the TSA meets its goal and adds 300 units to the 40 currently in use, not every airport will have them, since the TSA provides screening at about 450 airports. This means that for some airports passengers will have to be screened with systems or methods that don't have the advantages or capabilities of these advanced detection units.

Even if an airport has these devices in available, they may not be used. The TSA emphasized that these technologies were optional, and any passenger that did not want to use them could be screened with another method.

Why a Less than Perfect System Is Acceptable
While some passengers may wonder why TSA would place these advanced devices only in some airports, and would not require that all passengers be screened in this way, keep in mind that this kind of technology is only one kind of protective system, designed to protect airliners against individuals who try to sneak weapons, bombs, and other banned items into the secure area of an airport. Even a partial implementation of these security measures may find some banned items, and may deter some potential terrorists from attempting to bring bombs and guns on board aircraft.

Why Extra Security Is not Enough
The threat from those who want to disrupt the air transportation system is one that constantly evolves. For every system or procedure that is put into place, those who intend to bring harm to the system will take steps to either avoid those measures or find a way to defeat them. While extra measures will not make air travel perfectly safe, they will likely make travel less risky.

Resources
TSA imaging technology background information
Bomb related deaths on US and Canadian airliners since 1949

Poll Question of the Day
The USA Today newspaper and the Gallup polling organization recently released a poll that says 78% of air travelers who have taken at least one trip in the last 12 months approve of US airports' using full body scan imaging on airline passengers. AirSafe.com would like to know how you feel about this technology:

The survey is now closed. The survey asked the following questions:

• Do you approve of full body scans at US airports?
  
  
• Should children be scanned in this way?
  
  
• Have you flown on airliner at least once in the past 12 months?
  
  
• What do you think about the increased security?

The results of the survey are available here.

CHQR Radio Interview About Attempted Bombing of Northwest Flight 253

Dr. Curtis and host of the Calgary Today show Whitney Dean of CHQR radio in Calgary, Canada discuss a number of issues related to the Christmas day bombing attempt on Northwest flight 253, including Nigerian airline security, a review of US terrorists databases, and the technologies and procedures that are currently used to prevent airliner bombing attempts. The following interview took place on 29 December 2009.

Listen to the interview (16:10)

WGN Radio Interview About Attempted Bombing of Northwest Flight 253

As information about the unsuccessful bombing of Northwest Airlines flight 253 continues to be uncovered, some are questioning the usefulness of some of the security measures being implemented, and whether profiling may be needed to deter attacks. The following interview was with WGN radio in Chicago on 29 December 2009

Listen to the interview (14:39)

The Bombing Attmept on Northwest Flight 253 and TSA's Accidental Release Secret and Sensitive Security Information

After the unsuccessful bombing attempt last week on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, not much is known for sure, including how the suspect was able to overcome all the various layers of security. One possibility was that the information accidentally released earlier this year by TSA may have helped the suspect.

The TSA manual was reviewed by Dr. Curtis of AirSafe.com, and there did not appear to be any obvious or even indirect connection between the actions of the suspected bomber and the information in the manual.

The video and audio podcast below provides an overview of the information that was in the manual, and the links at the bottom of the article go to previous AirSafeNews.com articles on the TSA manual, as well as to the edited and unedited versions of the TSA manual. AirSafeNews.com encourages its readers to review the information, and to contact AirSafeNews.com if they have any insights or opinions on either the TSA manual release, or the recent bombing attempt.

Video and Audio Podcast Links (2:23)
Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | YouTube

Related Information
Full TSA report
Redacted TSA report
TSA prohibited and restricted Items

Related AirSafeNews.com Articles
AirSafeNews.com article on the attempted bombing
Description of four key US terrorist and TSA security databases
BBC interview with AirSafeNews.com's Dr. Todd Curtis

BBC Interview About Attempted Bombing of Northwest Flight 253

As the investigation into the unsuccessful bombing of Northwest Airlines flight 253 enters its early stages, there are already several security issues that are being discussed by the media, including short term security measures and issues with US government terrorist databases.

Listen to the interview (4:09)

Unsuccessful Attempt to Detonate a Bomb on Northwest flight 253 near Detroit

A passenger on a Northwest Airlines A330-300(N820NW) apparently attempted to detonate an explosive device while the aircraft was approaching Detroit. Flight 253 was an international flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, and early reports are that a passenger, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (earlier reports had his name as Abdul Mudallad), a 23-year-old Nigerian national, allegedly had the device strapped to one of his legs, and that the device was triggered during descent (about 20 minutes before landing) and started a small fire. The flight, operated by Northwest Airlines using an Airbus 330-300 aircraft with 278 passengers and 11 crew members on board, landed safely, and the suspect, the only person injured, was transported to a local hospital for treatment of serious burns.

A passenger who was interviewed by CNN stated that the suspect was sitting in seat 19A, that he heard a popping sound, followed by a glow and the smell of smoke . Nearby passengers subdued the suspect. Another passenger in an interview published by the Wall Street Journal said that she was in seat 18B, and she heard a loud bang after the aircraft had lowered its landing gear. Reportedly, at first she thought the plane might have gotten a flat tire, but then she said saw a flame leap from the lap of a man sitting in the row behind her in the window seat, 19A. The suspect was subdued, and moved to another part of the aircraft for the rest of the flight.

Northwest flight 253 had departed Amsterdam at about 0845 local time Friday morning, and arrived at Detroit, MI at about noon local time. The flight crew had declared some kind of emergency before the landing. The Airbus A330 had 278 passengers on board. Early reports also indicate that the suspect started his journey on a KLM flight from Nigeria to Amsterdam, and had connected with flight 253 in Amsterdam.

The device was described by unidentified US officials as a mixture of powder and liquid. Other reports included details such as the suspect using a syringe to inject some kind of liquid into the device.

Rep. Peter King, a US congressman from New York State, claims that the suspect's name did not appear on any of the terrorist watch lists maintained by US authorities, but that his name did turn up in other terrorism-related databases maintained by intelligence officials. An unidentified US official also claims that the suspect told investigators that he was given the device by al Qaeda operatives in Yemen, where he was also given instructions on how to detonate it. An unidentified White House official claims that this event was “an attempted act of terrorism.”


According to this Trip Advisor seat map of a Northwest A330-300, seat 19A would be a window seat situated directly over the left wing.

The White House has reportedly ordered unspecified increased security procedures at airports around the country, though the Department of Homeland Security threat level for the air transportation system has not changed from it current level of 'High' (orange) to 'Severe' (red).


Additional Information
Fatal US and Canadian bombing events
Other A330 crashes and significant events
Airline security suggestions from AirSafe.com
Top Ten AirSafe.com tips for high threat travel

A330 Photo: J.P. Karas; Seat Map: TripAdvisor.com