US Airport screenings fail to detect weapons in 95 per cent of tests

By NewsGram Staff Writer

No matter how much the USA boasts about tight security at their airports, a recent report has revealed a striking fact that their screeners fail miserably when it comes to detecting potential weapons.

The report has also raised an alarm in the security circles of the USA where the catastrophic 9/11 event forced the airline security protocol to undergo a massive change. The report has mentioned that American airports screeners missed detecting weapons and explosives 95% of the time in mock tests conducted by undercover agents.

The undercover investigations were conducted at several US airports by Homeland Security Red Teams, acting as passengers, to test the system. According to officials apprised on the results, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents failed 67 out of 70 tests, with Red Team associates frequently able to pass potential weapons through checkpoints.

As reported by The Guardian, in one test, an undercover agent was stopped when he set off an alarm at a checkpoint, however, the TSA screeners were not able to locate a fake explosive device taped to his back when they frisked him.

Following the striking revelation made by the undercover agents, the US homeland security secretary, Jeh Johnson, immediately ordered improved security at airports and transferred the top TSA official to another role.

As per the website, Johnson also stated that the results of the security checks were confidential but he had directed the TSA to modify screening procedures "to address specific vulnerabilities identified" in the undercover operation.

He said, "The numbers in these reports never look good out of context but they are a critical element in the continual evolution of our aviation security." "We take these findings very seriously in our continued effort to test, measure and enhance our capabilities and techniques as threats evolve," he added.