You might want to pack an extra Xanax for your Thanksgiving travels next week: A new report released yesterday by the Government Accountability Office shows gaping holes in security at U.S. airports. [CBS News] [The GAO Report PDF]
Earlier this year, the GAO sent investigators to 19 different airports. Their undercover agents were successfully able to get through security with components for making bombs and IEDs (improvised explosive devices).
They bought the bomb parts from local stores and over the Internet for about $150.
From the report: “Our tests clearly demonstrate that a terrorist group, using publicly available information and a few resources, could cause severe damage to an airplane and threaten the safety of passengers.”
In one particularly horrifying instance, airport screeners demanded an agent get rid of his regulation-sized bottle of shampoo…but didn’t blink at the bottle containing the liquid component for one of the bombs.
Another agent filled his pockets with coins to force the security checkpoint workers to give him a more thorough search. They waved a wand…and still missed the bomb components hidden on his person.
So what’s the solution? The GAO says we need more aggressive screenings, more surprise, unpredictable checks, and development of better checkpoint technology.
Oh, and former CIA director James Woolsey also announced yesterday the U.S. hasn’t done much to prep for another anthrax attack here, too. Sigh. Better make that two Xanax.
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