Breaches seen as terrorist tests

[BEER980]

Breaches seen as terrorist tests
By Audrey Hudson
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published January 16, 2004


The arrest of a Sudanese passenger carrying bullets after a trans-Atlantic flight from Washington Dulles International Airport to London this week follows a series of breaches, and an airline security analyst suspects terrorists are testing the system.

"It would be a mistake to brush this off," said Charles Slepian of the Foreseeable Risk Analysis Center. "We should be more concerned with their ability to blow up a plane than to hijack one."

A leaked FBI memo reported last week by British news outlets, including the London Times, says suicide terrorists are plotting to hijack trans-Atlantic planes by smuggling "ready to build" bomb kits past airport security, and later assembling the explosives in aircraft bathrooms.

"Terrorist operatives are more confident that they can successfully smuggle [bomb] components, rather than fully assembled bombs past airport security," the FBI memo said.

Mr. Slepian said the combination of the FBI memo and several recent security incidents indicate that terrorists are probing airline security procedures. The recent breaches include:

•On Tuesday, the Sudanese passenger was arrested on terrorism-related charges by British police after the ammunition was discovered during a security check as the 45-year-old man attempted to board the flight to his destination, Dubai. British officials say the security lapse occurred at Dulles. U.S. officials say that is still under investigation.

•Shortly after Christmas, British investigators found traces of explosives on socks belonging to British Muslim Sajid Badat, whom they arrested for conspiring with Richard C. Reid, who is nicknamed the "shoe-bomber."

•A Saudi passenger was arrested Jan. 5 at Boston's Logan International Airport after U.S. Customs Service agents discovered incendiary devices containing gunpowder disguised as artist's crayons had been smuggled aboard a trans-Atlantic flight from Riyadh.

U.S. Customs agents at Logan found three pink-and-white incendiary devices at the bottom of a backpack belonging to the Saudi passenger, which initially went undetected by Saudi security and during a layover in Frankfurt, Germany.

Essam Mohammed Almohandis, 33, was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday and faces 15 years in prison. He originally told officials the devices were artist's crayons, but after one tip fell off and gunpowder spilled forth, he said his wife had packed his bag.

Calls to the Transportation Security Administration for comment yesterday were not returned.
Mr. Slepian said Mr. Almohandis was travelling under a business visa and had no checked baggage, just a carry-on backpack. He also said "one of the most serious aspects" is that the Saudi and the Sudanese both fit "our terrorist profile," but they still were able to "dance through the system."
Numerous security concerns prompted the cancellation of U.S.-bound flights from Britain, France and Mexico after the nation was put on a high terrorist alert during the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Intelligence indicated terrorists had targeted such flights.

U.S. officials last week asked all foreign airlines en route to the United States to forbid passengers from congregating near bathrooms.
"It is conceivable terrorists may plan to use this private area to construct [bombs] in order to facilitate access to the cockpit, or position themselves in front of the passengers," the FBI memo said.

U.S. officials recently announced that new X-ray machine screening procedures were put into place Dec. 27, just days
after the nation went on high alert for a terrorist attack.

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