Expect More Security Measures When You Travel
HARLOW: As terrorists reportedly ramp up efforts to strike in several European countries, homeland officials right here in the United States also, of course, beefing up security. Our Rene Marsh has the latest on that.</s>RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The headline from my conversation with Secretary Johnson is another round of ramped-up measures at our nation's airports is on the way. It's unclear if these will be seen or unseen changes but Johnson says it's in response to threat streams they're seeing now.</s>JEH JOHNSON, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We have evolved to a new phase in the global terrorist threat.</s>MARSH (voice-over): The head of Homeland Security revealing today, even more airport security measures are on the way.</s>JOHNSON: We're looking at doing more in the short-term in reaction to some of the threat streams that we are seeing now.</s>MARSH: This after DHS announced earlier this week, ramped up searches at U.S. airports over fears terrorists are creating non-metallic explosives -- capable of passing through some airport scanners undetected. (on camera): So, when you talk about more measures as far as aviation goes, what would that look like? What's the timeline for that? And what is this new intelligence --</s>JOHNSON: We're looking at it right now and I told my folks that I wanted an assessment in the very short-term. So, I expect to get that in the next couple days.</s>MARSH: So, it's unclear what the extra measures would be?</s>JOHNSON: We're looking at it right now.</s>MARSH (voice-over): Additional random passenger and luggage checks are now happening at the gate, once travelers have cleared TSA checkpoints. After al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula published a guide to building hard-to-detect bombs. Following September 11th, transportation systems continue to be a target for terrorists. In 2005, four suicide bombs detonated within seconds of each other on a bus, and three different trains traveling through London underground stations. In 2010, Najibullah Zazi pleaded guilty for plotting to blow up New York subways.</s>JOHNSON: We need to focus on homeland-based threats.</s>MARSH: Just this week, an electrical malfunction caused smoke to fill a D.C. metro station, killing one and injuring dozens. Passengers were left waiting for more than 40 minutes before emergency responders helped them evacuate, raising serious questions about how prepared the U.S. is to respond to emergencies on the nation's transportation system.</s>BLAIR RUBLE, VICE PRESIDENT FOR PROGRAMS, WILSON CENTER: One does have to wonder what would have happened had that fire been set by terrorists. And, clearly, the response was inadequate.</s>MARSH (on camera): Well, Johnson struck a reassuring tone saying that the department is assessing new intelligence and threats every day and every hour.</s>HARLOW: Rene Marsh, thank you for that. The question: Is the U.S. putting its security efforts in the right places? Bob Baer joins me again, also Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. Bob, let me -- let me read you this excerpt from a very interesting article from "The Daily Beast's" Shane Harris. It writes, "What they got last week in Paris, a completely different kind of attack." He goes on to say, "In claiming credit for last week's decidedly lower-tech shooting spree at the offices of 'Charlie Hebdo', AQAP seems to have flipped its playbook, leading to inevitable questions about whether U.S. officials misjudged the terror group's capabilities or were too focused on the wrong threat, bombs instead of bullets." Good point, Bob?</s>BAER: Well, I think, Poppy, we should be worried about both. Al- Siri, the bomb maker for al Qaeda in Yemen, is very capable. He can take PETN, which is a high freezant explosive, he's been able to conceal it in a attorney cartridge. Looks just like the ink. And, of course, there was the underwear bomber. The underwear bomber failed because he kept the explosive on his leg and it's hydroscopic, it absorbed water and didn't go off. Now, if they had known what they were doing, they could have brought that airplane down. What scares me is that al Qaeda is advancing in its technology just as the Khorasan Group is. And there's no reason why they both can't do a military style assault in Paris and go after airplanes. It's extremely difficult to bring down an airplane, but if these guys are getting better, will they get to that point? I'd have to ask the experts.</s>HARLOW: All right. So, General, what can the U.S. do to most effectively prevent attacks on both of these fronts? Aside from all that is being done now, are there lessoned learned from the tragedy we saw play out in Paris in terms of the coordination, of the training, the preparation?</s>HERTLING: We're dealing with an adaptive enemy, Poppy, and I think whereas we still have to be very concerned with the aviation community and what they do, this is an enemy that's shown that they are going to use potentially lone wolf attacks and individual operation cells like we saw in Paris and like they were about to do in Belgium stealing police uniform, getting into potentially secure locations. And there are a lot of other potential things as we've seen in combat over the last 12 to 14 years, there are opportunities everywhere to hide an explosive device. I'm very surprised -- not to try and be scary -- I'm very surprised we haven't seen more attacks like occurred in Paris in the United States yet. They're relatively the easy to do, and again, we're dealing with an adaptive enemy. We have to be more concerned about the environment and also various ways that these kinds of attacks can occur.</s>HARLOW: So, Bob, given what the general said about this adaptive enemy, I mean, you're former CIA, right? We rely on guys like you, what you used to do and others to get into the heart of this. With people on the inside is that why you think we haven't had attacks like the ones in Paris here in the United States, for example?</s>BAER: I've asked that question of serving officials now and they can't explain why, poppy. They've said these I mean are here, they're capable of doing these attacks. I've asked FBI agent, explosive experts about bringing down airplanes with household items. And they've described to me how it works and how easy it would be. And they don't have an answer why it hasn't happened. I think one of the most important things is we are able to assimilate our immigrant population. I've said this over and over, and people that alive in this country like being here and they just integrate very easily. In France, Germany, Britain, there's a pool of potential recruit who is know the terrain, who can pick up these skills in Iraq and Syria and strike in Europe. And I think that's why they've got the brunt of it and why we should keep our finger cross that would we haven't seen anything so far.</s>HARLOW: To you, General, on that point, Bob talks about the importance of assimilating immigrant, assimilating Muslim immigrants, making them feel like part of your community. So no one turns to extremism, but also there's a geographical difference, right, between the United States and Europe. Bob Baer was talking to us earlier in the program. Do you think that that is key here, General?</s>HERTLING: I think that's a part of it but I also think we have very close coordination between our intelligent communities now. We did not have that before 9/11. We do have a joint interagency task force combining the CIA, FBI, NSA, all those other organizations with local and regional police forces I think that's attributed to it significantly. But, Poppy, I wouldn't want to spike the ball in the end zone saying we ear completely safe.</s>HARLOW: Yes.</s>HERTLING: I'm very concerned these kinds of attacks continuing not just in Europe but all over the world.</s>HARLWOW: Yes. No question about it. Thank you very much. Good to have you both on the program. Coming up next, we're going to talk about ISIS and how relentless the terror group has been on the battlefield and on YouTube using propaganda to successfully recruit new fighters. How is the U.S. military fighting back online? Are wing to enough to win the war on the web? That's next.