It is reported that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has alerted U.S. law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for what could be "dry runs" for a terrorist attack. A bulletin sent July 20 warned of possible "pre-attack security probes." The advisory details four incidents from the past 11 months in which screeners found mock bombs in passengers checked or carry-on bombs. The bulletin reportedly says "most of the explanations for carrying the suspicious items were questionable and some investigations are still ongoing."
A TSA spokesman downplayed the significance of the advisory, saying there is no evidence of a real threat. But speaking before the Aero Club of Washington, D.C., on July 24, Transportation Security Administrator Kip Hawley said "We know of Al-Qaeda's continued interest in aviation, we know terrorists are training, and we know of terrorist movement, but we don't yet have the particulars of a specific plot. In an environment where we know we are at risk, but don't know the 'what, where, or when' how should we...deal with that? We don't deal with it by sitting still. We don't deal with it by digging in behind our checkpoints and relying on predicting the next object of attack among the millions of bags and people we see every day. To be sure, the checkpoint is a component, a layer of the larger plan, but it absorbs too much of our focus and too many of our resources. We deal with this threat by moving, by not setting up a standing target that can be designed around. We have to be proactive, surprising, intelligent, and flexible. We act -- we don't react," he added.
