Flying the Terror-free Skies, Think Again … Government Investigators Smuggled Bomb Parts Past Airport Screeners in Covert Tests

One might ask the following question: Why have we been waiting in line so long at airport screening check points if this is the results?

So much for checking individuals shaving cream, shampoo and tooth paste at the airports. So much for checking grandma’s walker as well. Government investigators were able to smuggle through airport check screenings at 19 airports bomb parts. Government investigators smuggled liquid explosives and detonators past airport security, exposing a dangerous hole in the nation’s ability to keep these forbidden items off of airplanes.

The covert tests were conducted at Transportation Security Administration, TSA, checkpoints at 19 airports in March, May and June of this year. The airports were not identified. This is announced right before the Thanksgiving holiday and the busiest travel days of the year. I sure many travelers head off to their flights next week feeling safe and assured.

Government investigators smuggled liquid explosives and detonators past airport security, exposing a dangerous hole in the nation’s ability to keep these forbidden items off of airplanes, according to a report made public Wednesday.

The investigators learned about the components to make an improvised explosive device and an improvised incendiary device on the Internet and purchased the parts at local stores, said the report by the Government Accountability Office. Investigators were able to purchase the components for the two devices for under $150, and they studied the published guidelines for screening to determine how to conceal the prohibited items as they went through checkpoint security.

At the end of the testing, investigators concluded that terrorists could use publicly available information and a few cheaply available supplies to damage an airplane and threaten passenger safety. (FOX News)

GAO: Investigators pass security at 19 airports with bomb parts

The GAO investigators devised two types of devices: an “improvised explosive device” made of a liquid explosive and a low-yield detonator, and an “improvised incendiary device” that could be created by combining commonly available products prohibited in carry-on luggage.

The GAO said it found the instructions for creating the devices “using publicly available information,” including Internet searches.

According to the testimony, a transportation security officer barred one of the investigators from bringing an unlabeled bottle of medicated shampoo through the checkpoint. But the security officer allowed a liquid component of the improvised explosive device to pass through undetected, although that item is prohibited by the TSA.