Report: Fake Bomb Gets Through TSA Check
BURNETT: Our third story, OUTFRONT," TSA fail. The "New York Post" reports an undercover TSA agent made his way through two checkpoints at Newark Airport with a fake bomb hidden in his pants. Mary Snow is OUTFRONT with the story tonight.</s>MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The test at Newark Airport was to see if a fake improvised explosive device would get past screeners. According to the "New York Post," it did. It quote sources saying, an undercover TSA inspector with a mock IED in his pants went undetected twice including during a pat down. The TSA wouldn't confirm the report, but said in a statement, "Due to the security sensitive nature of the tests, TSA does not publicly share details about how they are conducted, what specifically is tested, or the outcomes." The TSA says it regularly conducts covert testing and this is what it looks like.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Slip the inert detonator in.</s>SNOW: CNN went along with undercover TSA inspectors called "Red Teams" in 2008. The inspector had a fake IED on him when he went through security at Tampa International Airport. A screener failed to detect the device and the undercover inspector then instructed him on what he did wrong. Just how many screeners fail to detect devices in these drills is unclear, but one aviation security analyst says some failures are to be expected.</s>RAFI RON, NEW AGE SECURITY SOLUTIONS: There are a lot of very important lessons to be learned in order to improve the program and to increase the level of alert and the professionalism of the people that implement it.</s>SNOW: Just this week, the head of the TSA said protecting against IEDs are the top priority.</s>JOHN PISTOLE, TSA ADMINISTRATOR: The greatest risk is non- metallic IEDs, whether it's an exclusive, electronic initiator or a chemical initiator, whatever that may be, that's what I want our security officers to focus on.</s>SNOW: While the TSA wouldn't specifically address Newark Airport, the airport has had problems in recent years. There was a man who became known as Romeo who slipped past security to greet a woman forcing a terminal to shut down for hours. Last year, roughly two dozen baggage and traveler screener were fired for security lapses and thefts. Former TSA Administrator Kip Hawley says it's unclear why Newark continues to make headlines.</s>KIP HAWLEY, FORMER TSA ADMINISTRATOR (via telephone): I don't understand why it should be. They have had a lot of problems at Newark, which is probably why they are testing it.</s>SNOW: The issues at Newark Airport have now prompted a call for an extensive security review. Congressman Peter King, the former chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, wrote to the TSA administrator asking for a top to bottom look at Newark's TSA operations and a plan to fix them -- Erin.</s>BURNETT: All right, thanks very much to Mary. Still to come, America responds to North Korea. The U.S. counter measures following the threats of an attack we've been reporting on. Uncovering just how bad the American health care system is. Dr. Andrew Weil OUTFRONT next.