From the WSJ Opinion Archives
HOW IT HAPPENED
How Did They Get Past Security?
It's easier than you think.
Now we know, someone said yesterday, why they ask us all those silly questions at the airport. But those silly questions didn't stop the terrorists who hijacked four commercial planes and used them to destroy the World Trade Center's twin towers and part of the Pentagon.
So how could they have done this?
One of the planes used in the attack took off from Dulles International Airport, just outside Washington, en route to Los Angeles. It will be some time before investigations reveal how, exactly, the terrorists were able to execute their plan. But I've seen the security measures at Dulles--and they weren't tight.
As it happens, I once worked for the duty-free shops at Dulles, one of the many jobs I worked to put myself through school. The job entailed stocking shelves, selling items to international passengers and delivering those goods to passengers as they boarded their flights. So I had a card that let me bypass many of the security measures. A quick swipe would open a door to a tunnel that went under the metal detectors. Inside that tunnel we would often load a van to carry our products to the outer terminals.
At the time it struck me how many holes there are in airport security. Presumably background checks are performed on everyone who is issued a security pass. But if a terrorist slips through and is issued a pass, he could easily smuggle through whatever it takes to hijack a plane. Digitally enterprising terrorists could surely find a way to make a false security card or simply steal a valid one from an unsuspecting employee. What's worse, many employees would let others follow them through the door into the tunnel--even though we were warned against such "piggybacking" and made to watch a video on security before being given clearance.
The tunnel wasn't the only way a terrorist could foil the airport's security measures. The metal detectors and X-ray machines offer only a minimal review of passengers. I would often carry a can of soda through the security checks, and the security officers would allow me to put it off to the side with my keys as I walked through the metal detector. I often wondered if a terrorist could dummy up a can of soda and put a bomb or pieces of a gun in it, to be opened once on board.
Delivering packages to passengers as they got on their plane revealed another flaw in the security system. With my security pass I would make my way into the jetway, line up my bags and await my customers. After listening to details of the hijacked planes, I wonder how the terrorists smuggled weapons aboard. Did they have an accomplice who met them in the jetway?
I hate being hassled every time I fly. And after having worked at Dulles, it seemed clear that the security measures were aimed at making people feel safe instead of actually protecting them. Have your bags been in your possession? Has anyone given you anything to carry onboard?
Is it even necessary to ask such questions? It certainly isn't sufficient.
Mr. Miniter is assistant editor of OpinionJournal.com.
