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9/11 Commissioners Warned Airplanes Vulnerable to Onboard Explosions
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ShareAugust 10, 2006 8:40 AM
In December 2005, the 10 former commissioners of the 9/11 Commission issued a "dismal" report card on homeland security, including an "F" for failures to improve aviation security.
Commissioner James R. Thompson, the former governor of Illinois, warned in particular of the failure to protect against terrorists smuggling a bomb onboard a plane.
"Most Americans take it for granted that airline security problems have been fixed, or that terrorists will not target our aviation system. Both assumptions are wrong," Thompson said.
"The enemy will find and exploit soft spots in our security. Though we have hardened airliners against hijacking, they remain vulnerable to onboard explosions, such as the dual Chechen suicide bombings that brought down two Russian airliners in August 2004," he continued.
To secure commercial aviation, the commission recommended screening airline passengers for explosives, inspecting checked baggage and cargo shipped on commercial flights before it is loaded onto airliners and stored beneath airline passengers' feet and requiring the Transportation Security Administration, not the airlines, to pre-screen airline passengers against a consolidated terrorist watch list.
"These grades do not reflect the urgency we all felt after Sept. 11, when Congress made airport security a federal responsibility. Four years later such poor progress in this area is hard to believe," Thompson said.
August 10, 2006 | Permalink | User Comments (6)
Heck, *I* warned that commercial airplanes were vilnerable to onboard explosives. Anybody with half a brain and experience with the government know how it goes when the government takes over anything, in this case airline security.
"Four years later such poor progress in this area is hard to believe"? No. It's all too understandable.
Posted by: Matt | Aug 10, 2006 1:33:11 PM
The most ridiculous thing about all of this is that passengers and their baggage are screened yet air cargo is not. The 9/11 commission recommended that air cargo be screened but it has been shot down at least twice by Congress and the Bush administration.
Posted by: jim harrie | Aug 10, 2006 2:44:35 PM
Why do we go thru all this screening of passengers when the air cargo is not screened?
I can understand going thru extra screening only if the air cargo is inspected also. Bush as his groupies have not done a thing about this problem. I wonder why?
Posted by: Darlene | Aug 10, 2006 3:52:15 PM
This is just ONE MORE example of how our administration is making us safe....NOT!!!! We sow the seeds of hatred - then we will reap the seeds of hatred. We do not believe the 911 commissioners and do not comply with their recommendations - then we will reap those actions, also. America - wake up ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Posted by: Donna | Aug 10, 2006 4:35:29 PM
I'm confused by this issue. It seems that the United States new about this latest plot for at least a week or so before announcing it to the public. Only after the arrests in England were accomplished did the administration take any action. Were they so certain that no airline bombings would take place that they could delay putting in procedures such as those now in place? It seems to me that both the governments of the United States and Great Briton needlessly endangered the lives of millions of airline passengers during the investigation. I would feel much safer knowing that our leaders will take action immediately upon receiving information about a specific type of terrorist threat.
Posted by: Raymond Gates | Aug 12, 2006 11:21:11 AM
The truth is that the "no fly" lists are completely inaccurate.
There is at least one current Federal Air Marshal who has been on the list for over two years and has never been removed despite the fact that he works for the TSA.
He has made exhaustive attempts to correct the problem but the US gov't has failed to remove his name from the list.
He has flown hundreds of flights since being placed on the "no fly" list.
Posted by: anonymous | Aug 15, 2006 11:40:07 PM
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