Terrorists know airport scanners can be easily beaten

All the air travel complaints pale when compared to recent reports telling terrorists specifically how to beat the news scanners, according to industry observers.
 

An article in the Journal of Transportation Security (by Leon Kaufman and Joseph W. Carlson) say the scanners are “trivially defeated” with a simple trick.
 

Travel commentator Christopher Elliott says it pains him to say it, but “the bad guys have won in another important respect: They’ve succeeded in making air travel a transportation mode of last resort for many Americans.” But even that is nothing compared to what he calls a roadmap for terrorists.
 

He said TSA Administrator John Pistole told the terrorists where to hide explosive devices, with the help of the mainstream media.
 

Asked by the Christian Science Monitor if his agency planned to check body cavities for dangerous items, Pistole said, “We’re not going to get in the business of doing body cavities.”
 

That simple trick cited in the Transportation Security article?
 

It is very likely that a large, irregularly-shaped, thick pancake with beveled edges, taped to the abdomen, would be invisible to this technology. That’s ironic because of its large volume, since it is easily confused with normal anatomy.
 

The article said small amounts of high-tech explosives could be seen as pot bellies.
 

“It’s difficult to overstate the extent to which TSA has mismanaged security, particularly since overreacting to the underwear bomber incident. The protests against the agency’s practices are only just beginning,” writes Elliott.
 

By David Wilkening