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Late last month, the Transportation Security Administration found a live explosive device in a checked bag month at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania. TSA officers took the appropriate actions and confirmed the find. Airport surveillance camera footage helped authorities identify a suspect, and the FBI made an arrest.
There are lessons to be learned from this incident.
As much as the TSA touts stopping firearms from getting onto airplanes, explosives are a more dangerous threat to the air system. That is why travelers are limited to 3-ounce liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes in their carry-on bags.
With improvised explosive devices, numerous factors can mask what the item is and make it easy to miss. In the Pennsylvania case, the explosive appeared somewhat simple, making it possible to detect. TSA screeners were on target with their attention.
Of critical importance, the person now in custody was known to local law enforcement. Such individuals should be given extra security screening — of their person, carry-on bags and checked luggage. This is the foundation of risk-based security, which aligns security resources with security risk.
If a person is known to local law enforcement, this should flag them for additional attention at airports. Fortunately, most people do not carry such a record. However, the few who do demand extra screening. In this case, the person's checked bags needed extra attention, and fortunately, such attention prevented the likelihood of an air system incident.