Aviation securityTSA blog does little to allay fears of Domodedovo-like incident
At Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport a few weeks ago, a suicide bomber walked into the arrivals hall and killed 35 people and injured 168; on its blog, TSA says that one of the measures the agency has instituted — installing behavior detection officers (BDO) at U.S. airports to spot suspicious behavior — would go a long way toward preventing a Domodedovo-like incident in the United States; skeptics beg to differ
Following the bombing at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport, in which a suicide bomber walked into the arrivals hall and killed 35 people and injured 168, Blogger Bob of the TSA blog team addressed concerns whether the TSA would be instituting any new security measures to prevent a similar type of attack.
The TSA blog, which began on 30 January 2008, addresses topics ranging from “Questions We Hear Everyday” to “The TSA Puppy Program.” In the post titled “The Bombing of Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport,” Blogger Bob writes “as always, we are working with our international partners to share and analyze information regarding the latest terrorist tactics and security best practices.”
Among the precautions listed, TSA will continue to use behavior detection officers (BDO), a $212 million program which has been under fire by lawmakers (“Efficacy of TSA’s behavioral threat detection program questioned” 24 May 2010 HSNW).
Blogger Bob recalls an incident from three years ago when a BDO officer spotted a suspicious passenger in Orlando that had bomb-making materials and literature in his possession. An anonymous commentator highlighted this event with information Bob failed to mention: “A search of the man’s luggage found what were thought to be explosive components. The suspect, Kevin Brown of Jamaica, eventually avoided felony charges when he argued the items were for his radio-controlled car.”
Representative John Mica (R-Florida), chairman of the house transportation committee, spoke of the concerning security results. “I saw what happened [in Moscow] and I have even more concern.” Mica told ABC News that the program is “not capable of detecting what took place in Moscow.”
Blogger Bob also mentioned the continued use of explosive detection technology which encompasses the random swabbing of luggage or passengers for explosive chemical traces.
Canine teams, and Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams, a security network that, according to Joseph S. Salter, TSA’s federal security director for Rhode Island, “improve[s] interagency communications and our ability to leverage resources quickly,” are the last two safeguards mentioned, along with the ongoing analysis of information coming from Moscow.
