Terror Groups Close to Cracking Security Screening Process at American Airports
CABRERA: A CNN's exclusive reporting this weekend, intelligence sources tell us that ISIS and other terror groups may be close to cracking the security screening process at American airports particularly when it comes to getting small bombs on the airplane. CNN intelligence and security analyst Bob Bear is joining us now. Bob, you were with the CIA. You have worked all over the Middle East. How alarming is it to you that terrorists may have gotten their hands on U.S. airport security technology?</s>BOB BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY ANALYST: It's very alarming, but it's -- security systems at their airports that they are banning laptops and electronics is very, very good. It's as good as ours in the United States. So if they can get these bombs through these Middle Eastern airports, they can get it through our airports. I realized that they probably have specific intelligence about threats from these airports but these people developing these bombs are better and better and better.</s>CABRERA: So tell us more about what we know when it comes to the sophistication of these bomb making capabilities of some of these terrorist groups.</s>BAER: For years they have been trying to get high explosives on airplanes. They tried the Detroit bomb at Christmas. The bomber -- it failed to explode only because that explosive absorbs moisture. It's called hydroscopic. If he would managed to keep explosives dry, that plane probably would have come down. If they had put explosives in toner. It is got</s>CABRERA: We don't want to necessarily alarm people, but in your opinion, how worried should the public be?</s>BAER: Well, we should be worried because planes are being targeted. We lad the metro jet out of the Sinai that was brought down. Probably the jet out of Paris was brought down by an explosive. That's not been determined quickly. But as the Islamic states come under more and more pressure, they have what they think is a strategy</s>CABRERA: How do you see TSA making adjustments, maybe tightening security in the wake of these findings? Do you think we will notice something different if we are traveling in the U.S.?</s>BAER: I think if you travel within the U.S., you have a laptop, an iPad, you are going to get a lot more scrutiny. They are looking for changes in schematics, some of the changes they are going to taking a closer look at batteries. It's going to take longer to get through security as they try to combat this new threat.</s>CABRERA: All right. Bob Bear, we appreciate you joining us. Thank you. Still to come, they are some of the very people that helped get Trump elected. And now the President is going after the freedom caucus. Is this simply part of President Trump's plan to shake up Washington? We will debate it. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.