WashingtonWire - 2005-03-21

Security Report: Planes Still Vulnerable
The U.S. air transportation system remains vulnerable to terrorism despite more than $12 billion spent on additional security measures such as air marshals, reinforced cockpit doors and more stringent airport screening for explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warn in a new, confidential report. The report said commercial planes remain a target as members of al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations test the security system for weaknesses. It also said terrorists may target non-commercial planes, including charter and corporate jets, and have considered using helicopters to carry out attacks, because they have a "non-threatening" appearance and are easily maneuvered. The New York Times obtained a copy of the report and first published its contents. Officials remain concerned that the aviation sector continues a prime target because an attack similar to the ones of Sept. 11, 2001, would have spectacular results, the Feb. 25 report said. Security upgrades at airports have "reduced, but not eliminated" the possibility that terrorists will attempt another hijacking, the report said. "The report validates TSA's sense of urgency in our daily efforts to secure aviation, and that same sense of urgency can be found in our work securing every other mode of transportation," U.S. Transportation Security Administration assistant secretary for homeland security David Stone said. The report also detailed the FBI's 500 criminal investigations involving aircraft in 2003, the latest year for which data was available. More than 300 of the cases involved undeclared weapons, and 175 involved cockpit interference or threats against crew members, usually by drunk passengers. There were two hijackings in 2003, both involving flights originating in Cuba that landed in Florida.

DHS Announces Consolidated Terrorist Watch Office
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it will centralize efforts to screen airline passengers for potential terrorists into a single $847 million office, consolidating work currently performed by a dozen different offices. The new screening and coordination office hasn't yet decided on a protocol to clear those erroneously flagged on watch lists much consolation, though, US-Visit director Jim Williams said. Williams told the House homeland security subcommittee on economic security, infrastructure protection and cybersecurity that at a hearing this month that the new office would streamline procedures to detect, identify, track and interdict people, cargo and other potential threats. "The mission, of course, must safeguard legal rights, including freedoms, civil liberties and information privacy guaranteed by federal law," Williams said. Centralizing efforts, he said, "will result in greater accuracy in screening and provide for consistent policies and training on the protection of civil liberties and privacy." Some lawmakers weren't so convinced. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) said some of her constituents had difficulty flying, even after it was concluded they were erroneously included on the so-called no-fly list. Even some lawmakers, such as Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), had trouble boarding planes after their names turned up on the list. Sanchez told Williams even letters from the Transportation Security Administration attesting that her constituents weren't a threat "don't work."