Government security and spy agencies responsible for safeguarding the flying public are poorly prepared to prevent the next terrorist attack because they remain focused on tactics used almost three years ago, experts and lawmakers said Wednesday. Too much emphasis is being placed on scanning airline passengers’ bare feet with metal detectors or confiscating their household items at security checkpoints, while most travelers and cargo loaded onto commercial jets are not screened for explosives, authorities testified at the first congressional hearing on aviation security since the Sept. 11 commission issued its recommendations. “If we continue to wait for the next tragedy to implement new ideas, we will have more bodies,” said Rep. James Oberstar. Bombs smuggled onto aircraft and surface-to-air missiles aimed at low-flying planes are considered among the biggest threats to commercial aviation, in part because other security weaknesses were tightened after the Sept. 11 attacks, members of the House Aviation Subcommittee were told. Full Story
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