US: TSA reviewing cargo screening, concerned about terror vulnerabilities

The TSA is reviewing its screening procedures for cargo flown into and within the US because of concerns that potential security vulnerabilities could be exploited by terrorists, a US official said. The review, which is examining screening for cargo carried by freight airlines and passenger planes, stems in part from a terror plot that was foiled in Australia last month, according to the official. Investigations revealed that a senior ISIS commander shipped partially assembled components of a bomb on a commercial cargo plane from Turkey to Australia, according to Australian law enforcement. Two men in Australia assembled the parts into a functional explosive device, police said. The plan was to place it on an Etihad Airways passenger plane on July 15 at an Australian airport and detonate it, according to police. The plot involved a cargo plane -- the one that carried the components -- and the passenger plane that the extremists intended to target, but "at no stage did (a bomb) breach airline security," according to Australian authorities. Police have not elaborated on why the attack did not proceed as planned, but they arrested two men in late July and charged them in August with terror-related offenses. The do-it-yourself bomb assembly method, referred to by some terrorism experts as "IKEA-style," has raised concerns for US officials. Partially assembled bomb components mean amateur bomb-making extremists no longer have to make the bombs from scratch by themselves.<br/>