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Israeli Experts: Checkpoints Key to Airport Security

[Reuters] Avida Landau - Members of a suspected al-Qaeda cell drove largely unimpeded to their target in Glasgow, Scotland, on June 30 without having to stop for any security check. That could not have occurred at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion International Airport, the experts said. A checkpoint two km. from the main terminal screens vehicles and drivers well before they enter the airport. At the checkpoint, a series of speed bumps prevents vehicles from making a dash into the airport, and armed guards stop, greet and question all drivers, looking for suspicious behavior. Experts said checkpoints must be used in combination with other measures to foil attacks. Eran Duvdevani, an anti-terror expert and former Israeli army colonel, said undercover guards inside the Ben-Gurion terminal were vital to its security. He said the high-profile presence of uniformed officers, as is common at British and U.S. airports, only gave gunmen a clear preliminary target and passengers a false sense of security. "When a terrorist comes to the airport to gather intelligence, he mustn't know where security is located, making it difficult to plan attacks," Duvdevani said. Despite efforts by Israeli experts to advise authorities around the world on how to improve airport security, very few had adopted the methods Israel uses. "I was shocked to learn how little airports learned from our experience," Duvdevani said. "They still think that it won't happen to them, but in the end it will."
2007-07-12 01:00:00
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