TSA Orders Full Searches on Specific Fliers

By: Alex Sundby
Topics: Terrorism

(AP / CBS)

The Transportation Security Administration announced Sunday that passengers traveling to the United States from 14 countries must be patted down and have their carry on luggage searched, CBS News reports.

The entire list has not yet been revealed; however, four of the countries — Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria — are on the government's list of those that sponsor terrorism.

Including those countries, the entire list focuses on passengers from:

-Afghanistan
-Algeria
-Cuba
-Iran
-Iraq
-Lebanon
-Libya
-Nigeria
-Pakistan
-Saudi Arabia
-Somalia
-Sudan
-Syria
-Yemen

The story was first reported by Mike Allen of Politico.

"The procedure will be inconsistent across the different countries given the airlines are responsible for the screening," Allen told CBSNews.com.

Aviation experts told the AP the pat-down is often ineffective, in part because of government rules covering where screeners can put their hands and how frequently they can frisk passengers. As a result, even if the man accused of trying to blow up a Detroit-bound U.S. jetliner on Christmas Day got an airport pat-down, it probably wouldn't have found the explosives authorities say were hidden in his crotch.

"To have people hold up their arms and just pat them — like I'm really going to carry a bomb there," industry analyst Michael Boyd told the AP, arguing that pat-downs were often of little value. "You know where you're going to put it, and no one's going to go there."

Most travelers at U.S. airports never get a pat-down when they pass through security, the AP reports. A metal detector must be set off first and then screeners would need to find out what triggered the alarm. That often amounts to screeners just lightly tapping on a passenger's arms, legs and clothes.

Alex Sundby
Alex Sundby is an associate news editor for CBSNews.com

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by Marossia April 23, 2010 7:32 AM EDT: It will be great to watch Super Bowl Package,i have bought tickets from TicketFront.com looking forward to it.; Reply to this comment


by lukeweyland January 4, 2010 8:03 AM EST: Hey potential tourists if you don't want to touched everywhere, have some strange guy you never met perving on your body,whether you wear jeans, a dress or a hijab, There are another 201 nations who don=t see you as their enemy.; Reply to this comment


by bombender January 4, 2010 4:01 AM EST: Susan see AP article below; Israel is hard on everyone but very hard on people who fit the profile. Do not

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israel's tough airline security methods ? pistol-packing in-flight guards, grilling of passengers, rifling through luggage, ? have helped thwart terrorist attacks in the past. Israeli experts said Wednesday that, had they been used in the United States, they might have prevented Tuesday's horrific airborne attacks in New York and Washington. But some would have proved difficult to implement in the United States, and others ? like profiling ? would not meet the test of the U.S. Constitution.
In Israel, profiling means Arabs and certain foreigners are singled out for intense grilling, while most Israeli Jews quickly proceed to check-in. Israeli officials would not talk about profile parameters.; Reply to this comment

by jodiver January 4, 2010 12:53 AM EST

Someone mentioned that the screening performed by the airlines in these various turdworld countries would not be effective. This is true. To deal with this, don't allow any direct flights originating in those countries to the US. Have all all the flights stop at military sceening airbase enroute to the US.

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by ffoulkes-2009 January 4, 2010 7:11 AM EST: Have all flights land in and take back off from Israel...


by Krusty54636 January 4, 2010 12:35 AM EST: Why even let them into the country in the first place? I see no reason they need to be here. They can use the telephone.; Reply to this comment


by askagain January 4, 2010 12:35 AM EST: It seems that Al Queda and other terrorist groups want to disrupt air travel here and around the world. Why not disrupt air travel for middle eastern fliers traveling to America from countries that have terrorists or are known to harbor or support terrorists. Because most of these terrorists are from Muslim countries, lets make it hard on them and find ways to make it easier for American travelers. Each terrorist attack makes it harder for us by adding new burdens whenever we fly.; Reply to this comment


by alphaa10000 January 3, 2010 11:25 PM EST: While the new TSA policy is obviously sensible, in view of the fact embarkation security may be non-existent for a flight from any of the listed countries, there is a huge loophole to which attackers can resort.

A wannabe terrorist can enter US airspace via an indirect route. Instead of flying directly from Yemen, the attacker visits an aunt in Hamburg before flying nonstop to Newark.

This is hardly news to TSA planners, but even limited introduction of full scans must fight both political backlash and a significant increase in staffing requirements to conduct the searches.; Reply to this comment

by TrentonTalker January 3, 2010 11:23 PM EST

Isn't it bad military strategy to let the terrorists know which people (from which countries) we are going to be focusing on? Won't the master-minds just send terrorists in from countries not on the list to attack us?

"Transparency" does not pertain to our military or security strategy! Why does it always seem like we are giving our secrets away to the enemy?!

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by erasmus111 January 4, 2010 1:28 AM EST: "Why does it always seem like we are giving our secrets away to the enemy?!"

Ummmmm, hmmmmm, I think it's because you are!

The media couldn't keep their mouths shut if their lives (or anyone elses) depended on it.


by SusanStoHelit January 4, 2010 1:40 AM EST: They'd know anyway. It's not like all passengers from Yemen are going to keep quiet. It's no secret. Which is why profiling is generally stupid - they'll know, they'll use other countries, and they'll avoid putting stuff where a pat-down will find it.


by lami987 January 3, 2010 10:21 PM EST: Why not use dogs to detect bomb making materials. It would be a lot simpler and cheaper to operate, for now at least. Terrorists may someday implant the bombs in their bodies then it would be a lot more difficult to detect. At that time some kind of X-ray may have to be used.; Reply to this comment


by pete_in_az January 3, 2010 10:03 PM EST: I want full body-cavity searches done on them, each and every last one of them.; Reply to this comment