Richard Reid, aka the Shoe Bomber, offers an example of how security questioning together with appropriate security procedures, can be an effective deterrent and identifier of threat. Although there are hundreds of examples of how proper questioning has succeeded, this case is notorious. On July 7th, 2001, Reid traveled to Israel on El Al airlines. After being questioned, El Al security officers identified him as suspicious. His bags were very thoroughly checked, as was everything he was wearing. His belongings and appearance did not match his stated purpose and the duration of his itinerary. He was allowed to board the plane to Tel Aviv, and was overtly and covertly monitored closely by security personnel all the way to Israel. His five-day sojourn in Israel provided an opportunity to observe and gather intelligence on Reid. Insofar as he did not choose to return to Israel, nor make it the target of a terrorist attack, we may well conclude that Reid was deterred by the Israeli security system which relies in part on questioning as a tool to ascertain threat. There was a reason his target shifted from an Israeli to an American airline. Later that same year, on Continue ReadingThe post Notorious Shoes appeared first on Chameleon Associates.
