Intel Sources: Laptop Bombs May Evade Airport Security; Official: Al Qaeda Trying To Hide Explosives In Laptop Batteries.
CAMEROTA: The Trump administration banning laptop on planes coming from ten airports in the Middle East and Africa. U.S. intel sources believed that ISIS and other terrorist groups have found ways to plant explosives in electronic devices that can make it through airport security screening. Let's discuss what's being done about this with CNN terrorism analyst, Paul Cruickshank, and CNN counterterrorism analyst and former CIA counterterrorism official, Phillip Mudd. Phil, before we get to what they are doing about it, do we know what the impetus was for how alarm bells were setoff about laptops?</s>PHILIP MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: Sure. You got to look at a couple of things here. We have seen conversations out of the U.S. intelligence and the law enforcement community about progress in bomb making by ISIS and al Qaeda for a few years now. When I look at this in that context, I have to believe that the intel guys has some fairly specific information. They understand the implications for travelers and airports and airlines of asking for these kinds of restrictions. So you are not looking at general warning saying we're kind ever worried. You are looking at specific intelligence related to individual bomb makers within ISIS and al Qaeda who are hollowing out, if you will, some electronics in a laptop. And also potentially enabling those laptops still to be able to be turned on if an airport security guy wants them open so you can get through security. So a lot of progress by al Qaeda and</s>ISIS. CAMEROTA: Paul, you have some reporting on what the wake-up call was for airport screeners?</s>PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Yes. I mean, the big concern is from al Qaeda in Yemen. This is a group which has significantly had of ISIS when it comes to these sophisticated devices. There is an expert bomb maker, Ibrahim al-Asiri (ph), he's been experimenting with shoe bombs, electronic bombs, underwear bombs and surgically implanting bombs into human beings so that they can get onto aircrafts. He has been sharing that technology with other Al Qaeda affiliates in the region, notably that group in Syria. In fact, al Qaeda in Syria back in 2014, were planning a similar laptop bomb threat. That group in Yemen is much, much richer now. Better resourced than it was back in 2009 and 2010 when it put together that underwear bomb plot, printer bomb plot. They recently stole a hundred million dollars from a Central Bank branch in Yemen so more money, more resources to put into the R&D to get bombs onto passenger --</s>CAMEROTA: Haven't they also gotten their hands on the airport screening machines, Paul, so that they can test it before they send it off on a plane?</s>CRUICKSHANK: That is right. There is concern that these terror groups in the region have got hold of that equipment so they can refine methods to try and get bombs onto planes. But I think we need to put the threat into some perspective. While there has been quality concern for some time that advanced x-ray systems may miss something like a laptop bomb, there is other technology at the airport explosive trace detection technology that actually really, really good at detecting something like a laptop bomb that al Qaeda may put together. They can detect a trillion of a gram of explosive residue and even a bomb maker finds it very, very difficult to work so cleanly, that he will not have explosive residue on the surface of that laptop. One of the problems, though, is as we all know from travelers, not every laptop is screened in that way at the airport.</s>CAMEROTA: That is the problem. Phil, that is fascinating. That the explosive trace detection is so low-tech. They run that cotton swap over your hand at the airport. So why aren't all of our laptops swabbed at airports? Is that next?</s>MUDD: Well, a couple of things we need to think about here. I think we are heading to an age when you think about -- what we've had to do is shoes since the shoe bomber years ago. After the liquids plot in the U.K. in 2005, we can't bring liquids on aircraft anymore. I think we are heading toward stricter restrictions on things like Kindles, iPads, and laptops. I don't know if that means you'll be required to check them. That may mean as you are suggesting that you have to go through special screening. I'd say one thing, though, as someone who sat on risk at the FBI and CIA, you are depending on every single one of those screeners to have the right training to ensure nothing gets on the aircraft. That is a huge risk. I would be thinking about going in the other direction simply requiring travelers put a laptop into the belly of an aircraft so you don't have a system that requires every screener to be perfect every time. That's a lot of risk, Alisyn.</s>CAMEROTA: But can't you just blow it up from the belly of the aircraft?</s>CRUICKSHANK: That's right. You could. It could be on a timer device.</s>CAMEROTA: How does that solve the problem, Phil?</s>MUDD: Well, there is a couple of things that make it more difficult for a terrorist to explode something in the belly. You need higher sophistication. Nobody at the keyboard exploding the device. The second issue is a little more technical. If you put it in the belly of the aircraft, you can ensure that it is against the skin of the aircraft. So the likelihood it takes the aircraft down is lower.</s>CAMEROTA: I don't know, guys. I mean, the idea that you are not going to be able to bring your cameras, iPads, laptops or gaming devices on a plane, those are game changers, I mean, obviously --</s>MUDD: Alisyn, buy a book.</s>CAMEROTA: I don't know, Phil. I remember we used to read. That does ring a bell. All right, well, thank you, Gentlemen, for letting us know where we are with the status report. Thanks so much. Thanks to our international viewers for watching, for you "CNN NEWSROOM" is next. For our U.S. viewers, NEW DAY continues right now.</s>CUOMO: President Trump facing the most critical week of international diplomacy.