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Article Contributor: Emily Glenn, Duke University
Updated: 2 March 2010

Page Outline:

  1. Basic Facts
  2. September 11, 2001
  3. People to Know
  4. What Is Washington Doing?
  5. Sources

Basic Facts

Coming Soon…


September 11, 2001

  • Before September 11, 2001, airport screening was carried out by private companies. Argenbright Security Inc. was responsible for airport screenings in Boston’s Logan International Airport, Newark International Airport, and Washington Dulles International Airport. All four hijacked planes took off from these airports. In October 2001, Argenbright Security Inc. admitted that it had failed to complete the proper background checks on its employees, and employed workers whose crimes would have prevented them from being hired.1
  • On September 11, 2001, 19 hijackers passed through US airport security before carrying out attacks that killed 2,973 people.2 Several of the hijackers set off the metal detectors, but were permitted to allowed through security after either successfully passing through a second detector or a passing a personal screening with a metal hand wand. 3 There are allegations that the hijackers were able to take control of the planes using box-cutters and knives, but these claims can’t be substantiated, as the cockpit recorders did not survive any of the flights.4


People to Know

  • Richard Colvin Reid: On December 22, 2001, Reid, an Al-Qaeda operative, boarded American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami. While the plane was en route, he attempted to ignite plastic explosives that he had hidden in his shoes. His actions were observed by the flight crew, who were able to subdue and restrain him with the help of passengers. Reid was taken into FBI custody when the flight landed in Boston.5 Reid’s shoes were specifically designed to avoid detection and revealed flaws in the airport security system despite extra precautions taken after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Authorities later discovered that the fuse to the explosives did not ignite because it was dampened by Reid’s perspiration, as his plans were delayed for a day by French authorities.6 Each shoe had enough power to tear a hole through the fuselage of the aircraft.7
  • Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab: On December 25, 2009, Abdulmutallab tried to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 en route from Amsterdam to Detroit with explosives hidden in his underwear. The explosives failed to detonate and he was arrested and charged with attempting to blow up and placing a destructive device on a U.S. civil aircraft, attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, and attempting to murder 289 people.8 Abdulmutallab had received training and obtained his explosives from the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, who claimed responsibility for the attempted attack.9 This incident brought forth the debate about using explosive detectors more extensively in airports, as current airport security measures would not have been able to detect the explosives Abdulmutallab smuggled onto the plane. Airports have been hesitant to use explosive detectors because they significantly increase the time it takes to get through security. Airport security is currently investigating the use of machines that can see beneath clothing without forcing the passengers to undress.10


What Is Washington Doing?

  • In response to the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Federal Aviation Administration banned cutting instruments of any size and made of any material, required that all jetliners be searched by security before the passengers board, and banned passenger planes from carrying cargo on planes, among other things.11
  • The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was established on November 19, 2001 under the Aviation and Transportation Security Act. Its primary function is to ensure security in all forms of transportation, and it is responsible for the daily security screening operations for air transportation.12
  • In response to Richard Reid’s attempted attack, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) instituted a new requirement that all passengers departing from U.S. airports must remove their shoes when going through security.13


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Sources

  1. “Feds: Airport security firm to admit violation.” CNN.com 21 October 2001. 1 March 2010. ↩
  2. Alfano, Sean. “War Casualties Pass 9/11 Death Toll.” CBSNews 22 September 2006. 1 March 2010. ↩
  3. Ross, Brian and Rhonda Schwartz. “Tape Shows 9/11 Hijackers Passing Through Security.” abcNEWS 22 July 2004. 1 March 2010. ↩
  4. Plotz, David. “What You Think You Know About Sept. 11.” Slate 10 September 2003. 1 March 2010. ↩
  5. Thomas, Cathy Booth. “Courage in the Air.” TIME 1 September 2002. 28 February 2010. ↩
  6. Evans, Richard. “JTIC Briefing: Terrorist Use of TATP Explosive.” OpenSourceInfo.Org 25 July 2005. 28 February 2010. ↩
  7. Thomas ↩
  8. “Indictment in U.S. v. Abdulmutallab.” CBSNews 5 January 2010. 1 March 2010. ↩
  9. “The PETN Underwear Bomber.” Nefafoundation.org. 1 March 2009. ↩
  10. Smith, Lewis. “Security Fallout: Airports scramble to keep up with the threat.” The Independent 27 December 2009. 1 March 2010. ↩
  11. Zielbauer, Paul and John Sullivan. “After the Attacks: Airport Security; F.A.A. Announces Stricter Rules; Knives No Longer Allowed.” The New York Times 13 September 2001. 1 March 2010. ↩
  12. “Aviation and Transportation Security Act” TSA.gov 19 November 2001. 1 March 2010. ↩
  13. “TSA Adjusts Latest Ban Without Compromising Security.” TSA.gov 13 August 2006. 28 February 2010. ↩
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