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TSA 'not capable' of detecting airport threats

WorldNetDaily

Congressman blasts $212 million plan to spot terror suspects

Editor's Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just $9.95 per month for credit card users, and provide instant access for the complete reports.

The chairman of the House Transportation Committee has warned that the Transportation Security Administration is not capable of detecting an attack similar to the one that happened last month at Moscow's main airport, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., said that the TSA's $212 million program which is supposed to spot suspected terrorists at U.S. airports is "not capable of detecting what took place in Moscow."

The Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques, or SPOT, which has been existence since 2006 has some 3,000 "behavior detection" officers at 161 airports.

Critics, including the congressional Government Accountability Office, say the technique is unproven behavioral science and hasn't helped remove vulnerabilities at the airports.

"I see the classified results and it gives me great concern," Mica said. "I saw what happened in Moscow and I have even more concern."

The suicide bombing which took place at the Moscow airport occurred in an area where security doesn't exist at most airports – near where incoming passengers pick up their luggage after disembarking from the aircraft.

"Every airport in the world, including every airport in the United States, has virtually no security until you get to the security checkpoint," said former White House counter-terrorism official Richard Clarke. "Very large parts of all airports are inherently insecure."

TSA counters, however, that its SPOT program is a "vital layer that enhances security at the nation's airports."

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Feb. 14, 2011

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