Historical Hijacking Threat

1
Historical Hijacking Threat the Government
Response
2
Significant Events

• September 1970 Palestinian terrorists hijacked
  several airliners to the Jordanian desert.
  Destroyed the aircraft.
• 1985 Japanese terrorists supporting Palestine
  open fire on passengers at Vienna and Rome
  airports
• 1985 Shiite gunmen hijack TWA flight from
  Athens. Kill one passenger and disperse the rest
  throughout Beirut.
• 1988 Libyan intelligence officers plant a bomb on
  Pan AM flight which explodes over Lockerbie,
  Scotland
• 2001 President Bush mobilizes the National Guard
  to boost security at the nations airports
• July 2002, Egyptian citizen living in California
  opens fire on passengers in line at the El Al
  check-in counter. Attacker was fatally shot by
  security guard.

3
Hijacking

• The forcible seizure of any vehicle in transit in
  order to commit robbery, extort money, kidnap
  passengers, or carry out other crimes
• Skyjacking, air piracy the forcible
  commandeering of an aircraft while in fight.
• 1970 highest number of hijackings 74.
  Political terrorists began to consistently carry
  out hijackings either to gain publicity for their
  cause or to obtain the release of fellow
  terrorists from prison
• 1973 FAA consistently began searching all
  passengers and their carry-on luggage.
• 1990-1996 120 aircraft were hijacked 1990 40
  1992 12 1993 31, 1994 24, 1995 9, 1996
  14

4
Legal Responses to Expanding Security

• 1996 ACLU presented a statement on airport
  security measures before the White House
  Commission on Aviation and Security.
• ACLU has supported the need for appropriate
  measures to ensure air travel safety, but
  publicly and persistently opposes intrusive
  security procedures that sacrifice civil
  liberties.

5
Premises of ACLU Statement on Aviation Security

• Passengers should not be detained, questioned,
  and searched as if they are potential criminals
  unless there are specific facts to indicate they
  may commit a criminal act (probable cause).
• No passenger should be singled out on the basis
  of his or her perceived or actual race, religion,
  national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or
  political opinion. (profiling)
• Passengers not legitimately under suspicion
  should not have to fear that their private
  effects and private lives would be held up to
  public scrutiny or that personal data about them
  will be made accessible to others without their
  fully informed and genuinely non-coerced consent
  (right to privacy).

6
International Perspectives

• International efforts are mixed
• Some match or exceed U.S. efforts (Europe,
  Israel).
• Some recognize threat but are unable to finance
  security measures
• Others disregard the need for adequate security
• Countries diverge in their perception of the
  threat

7
The Trend Begins

• 1971 D.B. Cooper threatens to blow up a Northwest
  flight out of Portland unless given 200,00 4
  parachutes. Plane lands at McChord AFB where
  passengers and 2 flight attendants are released,
  and money/parachutes are picked up.
• Cooper orders pilot to fly to Reno (surprising
  officials who thought he was going to Mexico) at
  low altitude.
• When plane lands in Reno, Cooper is not on board
  and is never officially found.
• One of the first and only truly successful
  hijackings.
• International terrorists have escalated
  hijackings to be more complex and serious
  disasters

8
Early Federal Regulations

• FARs were designed to ensure the security of
  airports
• Air carriers had the responsibility prevent and
  deter weapons and explosives from boarding their
  aircraft
• Airports were responsible for preventing and
  deterring unauthorized access to the air
  operations area, and for providing law
  enforcement support at passenger screening
  stations
• Overall, FARs set the general guidelines for all
  security assets and procedures at US airports and
  for US and foreign airlines servicing US airports.

9

• Originally, the amount of security required
  effectively to deter hijacking was thought to be
  directly proportional to the size of the
  aircraft.
• This approach took into consideration the
  relationship between the amounts of publicity the
  hijacker could receive from the incident and the
  number of passengers on board.
• For operators of smaller aircraft, 1-30 seats, no
  security program was required unless passengers
  had uncontrolled access to a sterile area.

10
Airport Security Programs

• FARs required airlines and airports to have
  security programs in writing signed by the
  operators and approved by the FAA. At a minimum
  to include descriptions of the following
• The air operations area
• Areas on or adjacent to the airport
• Each exclusive area
• The procedures , facilities, and equipment used
  to perform the control functions
• Notification procedures
• Alternate security procedure
• The system for maintaining records of security
  incidents
• The law enforcement support system

11
New Carrier Rules (1972)

• Each carrier must adopt and implement a screening
  system that would detect weapons and explosives
  in carry-on baggage or on the person of
  passengers
• Put into effect with only 3 days notice to the
  airlines
• Each carriers program was to contain some
  minimum acceptable elements
• Ability to prevent or deter unauthorized access
  to the aircraft
• Means to ensure that baggage would be checked in
  by a responsible agent
• The capability to prevent cargo and checked
  baggage from being loaded on the aircraft unless
  handled in accordance with security procedures.

12

• By the end of 1972, the increasing frequency of
  terrorist or criminal threat prompted the FAA to
  require at a minimum
• Screening of all persons and carry-on baggage
• The availability of a sworn law enforcement
  officer at the screening point
• Development of security programs approved by the
  FAA
• Development of an airport disaster plan

13
New Airport Operator Rules

• FARs required airport operators to immediately
  adopt and put into use facilities and procedures
  designed to prevent unauthorized access to air
  operations.
• FAAs investigation from 1998-1999
• Conducted approximately 173 tests at eight U.S.
  airports
• Investigators gained unauthorized entry to
  restricted areas 117 times.
• Investigators concluded that airport operators
  and air carriers had not implemented effective
  access control procedures, engaged in improper
  training of employees, and the FAA did not
  coordinate appropriate oversight programs.

14
Fading Resistance

• Airlines abandoned their last bit of resistance
  to 100 mandatory screening after two
  non-terrorist attempted hijackings in October
  1972
• An airline agent and ramp serviceman were shot by
  four late passengers who followed the agent into
  the jetway. The hijackers were a bank robber and
  3 murder suspects who desired to use the plane
  for a quick get away.
• 3 alleged rapists hijacked and controlled a
  Southern Airways flight for 30 hours and
  eventually shot and wounded the copilot.
  Authorities turned over 2 million to the
  hijackers and the plane was diverted to Havana.

15
Implementation

• Airlines were confronted with who should pay and
  who should be in charge of law enforcement, as
  well as other procedural specifics
• Legality of searches and seizures
• Denying permission to board to passengers who
  were not cleared
• Jurisdictional issues
• In 1975, the Air Transportation Association
  sought to work out a single-standard security
  program. This produced the Air Carrier Standard
  Security Program (ACSSP) which attempted to bring
  some pattern to the diverse interpretations of
  the new rules By 1976 all but a few of the
  carriers accepted the program and today it is
  mandatory.

16
Public Law 92-366 Title I Title II

• Title I aka the Anti-Hijacking Act of 1974
• Title II aka the Air Transportation Security Act
  of 1974.
• Both titles significantly changed the Federal
  Aviation Act of 1958 by implementing the
  provisions of the Hague Convention for the
  Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft
  agreed to by the international community.

17
Public Law 92-366 Title I Title II

• Gave the President some broad statutory authority
  to regulate international air operations.
• He could suspend the right of any carrier, either
  U.S. or foreign, to engage in air transportation
  between the US and any nation permitting its
  territory to be used in furtherance of air
  piracy.
• Also could suspend foreign air commerce between
  the US and any foreign carrier that continued air
  service between itself and a nation harboring
  terrorists

18
Dissemination of Threat Warnings

• Real issue revolves around the idea of whether
  the right people get the right information when
  the need it to provide first-rate security.
• Illustrated by Pan AM bombing in 1988
• FAA sent out a warning one month before
• At least one airline official did not see the
  bulletin because he was on vacation.
• The warning had gone out to all US embassies and
  consulates, but the 1 necessary official did not
  receive it in time to avoid the tragedy.
• Procedures now require carriers to provide
  written confirmation of receipt of the threat
  information.

19
Recommendations

• 1990 Report of the Presidents Commission on
  Aviation Security and Terrorism made 60
  recommendations for improving airport and
  aircraft security procedures in the aftermath of
  the Pan Am tragedy. Highlights
• The federal government should manage security at
  domestic airports
• The State Department should pursue further
  negotiations with foreign governments to permit
  U.S. carriers to comply with US law overseas
• FAA should launch a priority research program to
  improve technological means to prevent terrorism.
• Public notification of threats to civil aviation
  should be made where appropriate.
• Victims should qualify for special financial
  compensation
• State Department must take steps to ensure that
  the families of victims receive prompt, humane,
  and courteous treatment and service

20
Aviation Security Improvement Act of 1990

• Based on the recommendations of the Presidents
  Commission.
• Established a number of new offices and
  positions
• Director of Intelligence and Security
• Numerous federal security manager positions
  authorized to implement security programs
  throughout the U.S.
• Amended the Federal Aviation Act of 1958
• Mandated background checks on airport and airline
  personnel
• Ordered a program to accelerate research and
  development of technology to counteract terrorism
• Required that US air carriers provide the State
  Deparmten with the passenger manifest of any
  flight involved in a disaster within one hour of
  notification.

21
Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996

• Passengers can expect to pay the costs of the
  increased security.
• Taxes and fees for passengers include a security
  fee
• Taxes and fees can amount to 50 of the cost of
  the ticket
• Airlines are required to pay about 4.00 per
  passenger to the government to cover security
  screening costs.

22
Civil Aviation Security -- TSA

• FAAs Civil Aviation Security Division is tasked
  with keeping civil aviation safe from terrorist
  attacks.
• Organization has two sections one for external
  security and one for internal security.
• Internal division handles the responsibility for
  all security-related issues within the agency and
  includes the following programs
• Internal investigations
• Drug investigation support
• Personnel security
• Industrial security
• Identification media
• Physical security
• Communications information security

23
Transportation Security Administration

• After 9/11 the CAS was integrated into the new
  Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
• For the first time, transportation security is
  totally handled by the federal government.
• TSA operates the passenger-screening process and
  analyzes threats that pertain to the entire
  transportation infrastructrue

24
Aviation Security Research

• Goal is to develop and implement equipment
  designed to counteract criminal and terrorist
  attacks against civil aviation.
• Technology oriented
• Divided into four interrelated sections
• Explosives and Weapons Detection
• Aircraft Hardening
• Human Factors
• Airport Security Technology Integration