Why can terrorists bring disguised bombs into laptops over the airport without being detected?

Security technology is more advanced than before but bomb technology is no less competitive. The speed of development is becoming a double-edged sword.

US intelligence agencies and law enforcement believe that IS and many other terrorist organizations have found new ways to make bombs: how they install explosives into electronic devices and how That device has overcome the protection at the airport - a huge security hole.

Late last year, such an incident occurred at the Mogadishu Airport, Somalia. An explosive device was installed inside a laptop that exploded on the flight, because the X-ray scanning system was unable to detect the bomb and prevented it before the terrorist could Take on the plane. This incident has caused the government as well as people to worry about security measures at African airports in particular and the overall situation of international airport security in general.

Check luggage before departure time.

US intelligence agencies believe that terrorists somehow managed to obtain airport security devices, so they could test themselves to find the most effective way to hide bombs. Currently, the ban on carrying large electronic devices (such as laptops) has been established on 10 airports in 8 countries in the Middle East and Africa (such as Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Qatar, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates emirate).

Many people worry that the law of banning laws is still not enough. Because, according to CNN's news, the FBI conducted many retrospectives late last year and determined that the hidden bomb in the laptop would be extremely difficult to detect with a regular scanner.

Full body X-ray scan at the airport.

In addition to the enactment of a ban, governments also remain confident with new equipment installed in the US and Europe. As they expressed, advanced technology along with well-trained training will reduce the risk of attacks down. They are applying more security measures than just X-ray machines, such as professional dogs or explosive detectors.

The problem lies in the first censorship stage

The problem lies in what kind of X-ray scanner is used to detect explosives. Most airports in developed countries are currently using the most advanced multi-dimensional X-ray scanner (using a lot of X-rays on luggage), but some (though lying in the developed countries) not so fortunate, they still use single-dimensional X-ray machines and obviously, this machine cannot detect explosives effectively.

X-ray images of luggage at the airport.

Many airports in Africa and many other developing countries, too, do not have the most advanced Explosive Detection Technology (ETD).

Generations of the latest X-ray scanners when combined with the above-mentioned ETD technology will often detect very good explosives, even if it is hidden in the machine part of the laptop. These machines can do that because the ETD device can detect even the smallest amount of explosives, which is an affirmation of William McGann, an explosive detector specialist at Implant Sciences, a company that produces US explosive detection systems.

McGann told CNN that when the new multidimensional X-ray system is used separately, there is a small percentage of images from different X-rays emitted from the laptop that will affect the ability to detect. something different in the computer."On the other hand, unidirectional X-rays only work best with simple baggage scans. TNT's hidden explosives are easily overlooked , " he added.

"When terrorists started changing the way bombs were used, so that the bombs were no longer simply a bag of explosives containing steel pipes and iron nails, the whole world should express their concern. I have problems with terrorism, elaborately hidden devices are really scary, they may not fool well-trained professionals but with a security officer who is bored all day. That is another story, " said explosives discovery expert.

Professional dogs are one of the ways to detect explosives at airports.

Robert Liscouski, a former senior officer at the US Department of Homeland Security and president of Implant Sciences, said we need a more well-trained airport staff.

"In developing countries, there are huge obstacles in training and maintaining the level of efficiency of human resources working at the airport, the fact that a security system does not have a real flaw is not a problem. now , " said Mr. Liscouski.

No security system is absolutely safe, so it should be banned

When the ban was officially issued, US authorities told CNN that they were worried about how terrorists had developed a way to hide explosives into the battery. But the new information indicates that bomb makers for terrorist organizations have found a new (more effective) way to hide explosives inside laptops, which can keep the machine running well. long time to pass the approval process. More worrisome, a laptop can be edited into a bomb only with home tools.

In places where such laws apply, large electronic devices must be located in the luggage compartment.

FBI experts have also tried different types of "laptop bombs" to accurately verify the difficulties faced by airport security personnel. At the same time, they also confirmed that there was no single and specific intelligence for the eight airports mentioned above to be banned, preventing public opinion that the above airports were particularly dangerous. .

Where such laws apply, large electronic devices will have to be located in the luggage compartment, passengers must not carry them at all. Although the terrorists can completely detonate the device remotely, but when the bomb is in the cargo compartment, the damage caused (both on the person and the safety of the flight) will not be too large.

These bans come from the alarm bell that was launched in February 2016, when the al-Shabaab organization in Somalia (linked to al Qaeda's network) blew up a laptop bomb on an airline flight. Daallo Airlines, going from Mogadishu to Djibouti. Investigators believe that the explosive is hidden in the computer's DVD tray. Luckily, when the plane didn't fly too high, the terrorist blew up the device. Thus the crew was able to make an emergency landing promptly and fortunately only 2 passengers were injured.

Aircraft bombing in Somali in early 2016.

To some extent, the terrorist groups looking for new ways to put bombs in electronic devices are evidence that how advanced security measures have been successful. Since the horrific terror of 9/11, the world has become more alert with the words "terrorism" and since then, security devices have become more advanced than ever.

Terrorists are constantly seeking to overcome security barriers, devices are also getting better. Never before, the technology image is a double-edged sword that appears so clearly.