By Senator Colin Kenny
While Canadian soldiers are bravely fighting Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan to defend Canadians from extremist acts at home the real ‘Achilles heel’ in our counter-terror operations remains the security of our airports and other points of entry.
In the aftermath of this week’s defeated terrorist plot in Britain, it increasingly looks like another case of homegrown terror with some connection to Al Qaeda. Certainly the plot smacked of Al Qaeda’s hallmarks, a spectacular event, potentially high body count, high degree of coordination. There are now reports that British police have arrested the Al Qaeda leader in Britain. The Home Office has said that one of those arrested is suspected not only of masterminding the foiled plot to bring down up to nine transatlantic airliners, but also of involvement in other planned atrocities over the past few years. He is described by counter-terrorist officials at MI5 as the senior figure in a terror network involving Kashmiri, North African and Iraqi cells. Two of those arrested last week are said to have visited Pakistan in the months before the planned attacks. They are alleged to have met Matuir Rehman, an Al Qaeda suspect and specialist in explosives. Dr. Ayman al Zawahiri, Al Qaeda’s number two, also reportedly threatened two major terror attacks in the fall in an Al Qaeda web broadcast. In fact, the plan is very similar to an early al Qaeda plot to attack the United States inspired by Ramzi Yousef.
This week British police arrested 24 people after busting a terrorist plot to blow up nine British-based airliners over cities in the United States. British authorities believe that that the terrorists’ plan to bring down airliners involved up to 20 terrorists who were planning to smuggle liquid bomb components in hand luggage onto British and American passenger aircraft leaving Heathrow and possibly three other British airports later this month. The bombs were to be assembled on board by combining peroxide and acid-based substances into liquid explosives. The plan was to explode the devices simultaneously as the planes headed for cities in the United States. The British Metropolitan police believe that as many as 3000 people would have been killed if the terrorists’ plans had succeeded.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have warned that organized crime is active at Canadian airports. This forced the Senate Committee to ponder the question that if organized crime can penetrate the ramp/runway side of airports then just how difficult is it for a homegrown terrorist cell to do the same. The organized crime reality is an easy breeding ground for terrorist activity. There is certainly high turnover in many of the lower paying jobs that allow easy and unchecked access to many components of an aircraft sitting on the tarmac. Sadly, airport security is like the proverbial house where the front door is locked, but the back door is a jar and the windows are wide open. The current random screening process amounts to approximately 2% of staff on any given day. Who’s checking the lunch pails?
As I watch the ‘knee-jerk’ reaction of new air travel security regulations throughout the G-8, I find myself with the same concerns that I had about easy access to restricted areas of airport operations some five years ago. In our 2003 report entitled the “Myth of Security at Canadian Airports” the Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence found that:
1. Passengers are being given the thorough once over but the rest of people at airports, the non-passengers (people working on the tarmac, such as baggage handlers, groomers, refuellers, caterers and mechanics) are not.
2. Mail still goes on commercial flights unchecked. In fact, the committee heard in 2002 from Canada Post who said it was Air Canada that checked the mail; then Air Canada testified that it was Canada Post that checked the mail and finally Transport Canada told us that nobody checks the mail. This has not changed.
3. Food service is trucked out to aircraft unchecked. The catering companies transport the same liquids (juices, waters etc.) that passengers aren’t allowed to bring on board. Other trucks that deliver items airside aren’t checked either. As well, there are construction projects going on all over airports with staff that have had no background checks. Transport Canada rules allow for one person who has had a background check to supervise and be responsible for up to five others who have not had background checks of any sort.
4. While passenger baggage is screened, air cargo currently goes on board passenger air craft with out a security check. Three months ago the Government announced that it was commencing a study on how best to inspect air cargo and they hope to have the results available within two years. How long has it been since 9-11?
It would be easy for the casual observer to blame the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) for the insecurity of Canadian airports but this is in fact a Transport Canada problem. Transport Canada creates the regulations that CATSA follows. Unless they’re going to make the same searches on the bottom half of the plane as they do on the top than one wonders if the current practice is more Public Relations than for Security. The Senate committee came to the conclusion and recommended that airport security should be transferred to Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada to be executed under the supervision of the RCMP. But this call, a warning if you will, has fallen on deaf government ears.
So for now, never mind new security arrangements at the gate of Canadian airports, when the back door on the runway and ramp side has remained wide open to organized crime and terrorists bent on committing mass murder. If government isn’t prepared to deal with these security issues through action instead of study, then perhaps we should all remain a little concerned about the large gaps in the security of air travel. Air India should remind us that Canada is not immune to terrorism.
Senator Kenny is chair of the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence. He can be reached via email at kennyco@sen.parl.gc.ca