TAMPA, Florida (CNN) -- The Transportation Security
Administration carried out surprise inspections on workers at five
airports in Florida and Puerto Rico on Monday, one week after a baggage
handler in Orlando allegedly used his airport credentials to smuggle
more than a dozen firearms into a commercial jetliner. Some 160
TSA officers, backed by Federal Air Marshals and local police, searched
airplanes for contraband, shined flashlights in airport vehicles and
patted down contractor employees involved in airport security. The five airports inspected were in Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The
airport crackdown will continue through the week, spreading to other
regions in the country as TSA increases random, unannounced searches
targeting those who could misuse their access within the system. "We realize the insider threat is a real threat, and we have to address it," said TSA spokesman Christopher White.
3:58:40 PM 
|
