Published on Security Management (http://www.securitymanagement.com)
TSA Claims Victory for Arrest at Orlando Airport
By Matthew Harwood
Created 04/03/2008 - 14:11



    
Wrap-Up?: 
No
Weight: 
0
Lead Headline?: 
No
Date: 
04/03/2008
By Line: 
By Matthew Harwood
Teaser: 

The TSA says the work of its behavior detection officers led to the arrest of a man carrying bomb-making materials in his suitcase on Tuesday.

The arrest of a man attempting to smuggle bomb-making materials onto a flight from Orlando, Florida, to Jamaica, can be attributed to the government's behavioral screening program, says [1]the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Police grabbed Kevin Johnson, 32, an Iraq war veteran who recently worked as a contractor in Iraq, while he walked through a terminal at Orlando International Airport. Behavior detection officers operating under TSA's Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques (SPOT) [2] program had spotted his erratic behavior and requested his bags searched.

Inside his baggage, investigators found plenty of evidence necessary for Johnson's arrest. According to the Orlando Sentinel [3]:

A luggage search ... turned up: - Two galvanized pipes. - End caps with holes drilled in them. - BBs. - A model-rocket igniter. - Batteries. - Lighter fluid. - A lighter. - Two vodka bottles with flammable nitromethane. - Instructions on making explosives.

Johnson's arrest affidavit says [4] he wanted to show friends in Jamaica how to build pipe bombs similar to ones he came across in Iraq. Some media outlets (here [5] and here [6]) speculate Johnson's motivation was revenge. His mother was murdered in Jamaica in 2005 by employees of the hotel she co-owned.

TSA's Evolution of Security blog says [7]what occurred Tuesday shows the value of behavior detection officers and TSA's layered approach to security.

This is an excellent example of the layers of security [8] in action throughout the airport. This is also a good example of using specially trained Behavior Detection Officers [9] to look for people with hostile intent as well as the items they intend to use. It's a further testament that the behavior detection program [10] works ...

Johnson's family insists he is not a terrorist and that Johnson suffers from depression related to his service in Iraq and the murder of his mother.

Related Resources: 

"Assessing Threats from Passengers [11]" by Robert Elliot

Comments


Security Management is the award-winning publication of ASIS International, the preeminent international
organization for security professionals, with more than 35,000 members worldwide.

ASIS International, Inc. Worldwide Headquarters USA, 1625 Prince Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314-2818
703-519-6200 | fax 703-519-6299 | www.asisonline.org
ASIS
Copyright © 2008, Security Management

Powered by: Phase2 Technology

Source URL: http://www.securitymanagement.com/news/tsa-claims-victory-arrest-orlando-airport

Links:
[1] http://www.tsa.gov/blog/2008/04/behavior-detection-officers-lead-to.html
[2] http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/what_we_do/layers/spot/index.shtm
[3] http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-bk-orlando-airport-bomb-040208,0,1905269.story
[4] http://www.wftv.com/download/2008/0402/15773264.pdf
[5] http://www.wftv.com/news/15775496/detail.html
[6] http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-bk-orlando-airport-bomb-040208,0,1905269.story
[7] http://www.tsa.gov/blog/2008/04/behavior-detection-officers-lead-to.html
[8] http://www.tsa.gov/blog/2008/03/layers-of-security.html
[9] http://www.tsa.gov/blog/2008/02/truth-behind-title-behavior-detection.html
[10] http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/what_we_do/layers/spot/index.shtm
[11] http://www.securitymanagement.com/article/assessing-threats-passengers