TSA explains reasons behind certain screening policies

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said agents find potentially deadly devices hidden in everyday items at airport security checkpoints across the country.

“The threat is, is real, that the threat is out there,” Lisa Farbstein with TSA said.

This week marks 23 years since Al-Qaeda terrorists used planes to attack the U.S. on Sept. 11.

Farbstein gave an inside look at how people are trying to slip past security with things like explosive powder in a tube of toothpaste.

“When you open it, you can see that it has been altered,” she said.

The agency said it even found explosive powder in a pair of crutches. TSA says it is constantly updating its training at airports across the country to keep up with those wishing to do the U.S. harm.

“We have to stay on our toes, and we’re constantly testing our officers on the X-ray machines. We’re testing them on how well they do pat-downs,” Farbstein said.

TSA says Al-Qaeda publishes an online magazine teaching people ways to beat those tests.

“When we get the threat stream, the next day, we’ll have something out there to counter it,” Manuel Raymond Vega an explosive expert with TSA said.

He said his team does encounter non-malicious devices too, like the occasional hand grenade.

“Every now and then we’ll get a rare one. And it’s usually from a soldier, a service person that, you know, brought it back overseas,” he said.

Vega said while the TSA enhances protocol, it also looks for ways to relax them safely.

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