How would you handle a security concern?
How would you handle this security concern?
You receive credible intelligence that a specific flight is likely to be targetted by terrorists. Do you a) cancel the flight, b) monitor the flight and its pax extremely closely, or c) take some other course of action?
Have you picked an answer?
Now, put yourself into the position of a terrorist. You have planned to hijack a specific flight. American authorities have been made aware of your plan, and cancelled your flight. Do you a) go home and vow never to plan another attack on the US again, b) go home and decide which flight to target next, and how best to avoid this being leaked to the Americans, or c) something else?
Have you picked an answer to this question yet?
If you answered b) to the second question, then go back and look at the first question again. If you cancel the flight, is it true to say that there is now every chance that some future flight will be targeted in the same way, but that there's less chance of you hearing about it? Wouldn't you rather let the flight go ahead, put extra effort into monitoring the flight, the passengers, the baggage and so on, and stand a reasonable chance of actually catching the terrorists in the act so that they can be locked out of harm's way for however long the law allows? Why have BA and the FBI not taken this approach to the Washington flights? Am I missing something here?
(And, if anyone who's actually involved in this type of security issue feels that this question can't be answered publicly without revealing anything which shouldn't be made public, then an answer along the lines of "There is more information which you are not party to, but which I can't tell you - but cancelling the flight really was the best option" would be more than sufficient!)
Thanks!
FFF
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