TSA Agents at Minneapolis Airport Failed 95% of Undercover Security Tests
Security agents at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport failed 95 percent of secret tests conducted by undercover TSA agents last week, according to a local Fox News affiliate.
A “red team” from D.C. tried to sneak 18 explosive materials, fake weapons or drugs through the TSA checkpoint at Minneapolis last week. They got 17 items through without any problems. Agents stopped tests after the failure rate reached 95 percent.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that airport security misses 95 percent of threats that pass through: The TSA red team is specially trained to detect weaknesses in security at airports throughout the nation. A former TSA head once called the team “super terrorists” for their ability to pass through security with undetected weapons and drugs.
But the high failure rate calls into question what exactly the TSA is capable of scanning for. Some security analysts question the agency’s efficacy of actually apprehending terrorists, specifically pointing to the controversial “behavior detection” program. However weekly it catches drug smugglers and immigrants who pass through borders without proper documentation.
When asked about the results of the test, the federal agency replied, “TSA cannot confirm or deny the results of internal tests and condemns the release of any information that could compromise our nation’s security."
In 2015, the TSA also failed to detect 95 percent of tests that Red Team agents snuck past airport screeners in major cities across the country. The failures forced the resignation of then-TSA Chief Melvin Carraway.
Security agents at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport failed 95 percent of secret tests conducted by undercover TSA agents last week, according to a local Fox News affiliate.
A “red team” from D.C. tried to sneak 18 explosive materials, fake weapons or drugs through the TSA checkpoint at Minneapolis last week. They got 17 items through without any problems. Agents stopped tests after the failure rate reached 95 percent.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that airport security misses 95 percent of threats that pass through: The TSA red team is specially trained to detect weaknesses in security at airports throughout the nation. A former TSA head once called the team “super terrorists” for their ability to pass through security with undetected weapons and drugs.
But the high failure rate calls into question what exactly the TSA is capable of scanning for. Some security analysts question the agency’s efficacy of actually apprehending terrorists, specifically pointing to the controversial “behavior detection” program. However weekly it catches drug smugglers and immigrants who pass through borders without proper documentation.
When asked about the results of the test, the federal agency replied, “TSA cannot confirm or deny the results of internal tests and condemns the release of any information that could compromise our nation’s security."
In 2015, the TSA also failed to detect 95 percent of tests that Red Team agents snuck past airport screeners in major cities across the country. The failures forced the resignation of then-TSA Chief Melvin Carraway.
