US: More needed against ‘insider threat’ at airports, report says

A congressional report on the terrorist threat posed by airport “insiders” says the Transportation Security Administration, airport operators and airlines must do a better job of screening workers such as baggage handlers or cleaning crews for possible security threats. It’s also treading depressingly familiar ground. The report, released this week by the House Homeland Security Committee’s majority staff, cites several cases going back as far as 2008 in which aviation workers, former employees or contractors were recruited to fight for ISIS or other terrorist groups or engaged in efforts to smuggle firearms or other contraband aboard aircraft. It says the nation’s approximately 450 airports remain vulnerable to insider attacks because they have not taken the steps necessary to properly check and periodically recheck employees’ backgrounds in a comprehensive way. It cites instances where security badges have gone missing. It also says most airport and the aviation industry have still not implemented “full employee screening” — or even agreed what that means. And it urged the wider use of biometric controls and better sharing of information among law enforcement and national security agencies.<br/>