Exclusive: U.S. Intel Officials Seeing Spike in al Qaeda-Linked Internet Chatter Focused on Ways to Thwart Airport Security
CBS News has learned that U.S. Intelligence officials are seeing a marked increase in terror-related Internet chatter with a frightening focus: Jihadists bent on finding gaps in airport security – all linked to al Qaeda in Yemen, reports CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian. On one radical website, a writer invites fellow members to post information on how to bypass airport screening.
Another member asks about explosive detection devices, writing: "We have that system in place in Algiers…does anyone know if it’s capable of detecting [the flammable gas] butane?"
On another Jihadist site, a visitor questions security involving 3D scanners at British airports asking: "Can I refuse [to pass through] for religious reasons?"
Before long comes this answer: "…advise those who wish to avoid the Heathrow scanners to take the train to Paris… and then board a plane from there."
Perhaps most disturbing — the recent discovery of a confidential TSA document on a Yemeni Web site discussing the rules for searching passengers.