Major breach of security at LGW !!
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Major breach of security at LGW !!
As reported by the UK tabloid 'The News of the World':
On the eve of war our reporter exposes frightening loophole in airport security
WE SMUGGLE M16 MACHINE GUN ABOARD GATWICK JET
INVESTIGATION by ROB KELLAWAY
A News of the World investigator has boarded a holiday jet armed with a machine gun and a pistol to expose a terrifying hole in the security at Gatwick airport.
Our reporter, who could easily have been an al-Qaeda terrorist, was smuggled past gate guards as he hid in the back of a catering lorry which was supplying in-flight meals.
Along with the driver, who helped us because he too was amazed at security lapses, our man was able to board a 200-seater Monarch airlines plane and get into the cockpit.
And the two men acted out plans for THREE separate devastating attacks that, if real, could have led to the deaths of thousands of people.
Chilling
On this occasion the guns were only replicas—but at a time when airports should be on high alert, with Britain on the brink of war with Iraq, our investigation makes chilling reading.
The undercover mission reveals a catalogue of missing or lax security checks—from firms who supply pre-packed inflight meals to airport staff responsible for checking planes before take-off.
Our men could have:
PLACED a Semtex bomb in a meal tray.
FIRED at close range at packed planes preparing for take-off.
HELPED re-enact the atrocities of September 11, leaving guns hidden aboard the jet for accomplice hijackers. Gatwick— which handles 31 million passengers a year—is only a few minutes flight from London's skyscrapers.
The driver of our truck who goes in and out of the airport every day believes our attack plans would have worked.
He said: "I contacted you because I am so scared by the state of security here I won't let my family get on a plane."
The trail of terror began at 9pm on Thursday at a depot at Manor Royal industrial park a short drive from Gatwick where the pre-packed meals and drinks are put on 7.5 tonne trucks.
The drivers are supposed to lock a plastic security seal on the back door when loading is finished to show the contents are secure. Our driver left the seal unlocked and no one checked the truck as he drove out of the gates.
"Every day hundreds of trucks pile in and out of Gatwick to service the planes and nobody knows what is inside them," he explained.
"I load up at the factory alone. I can put anything you like in the truck."
Ten minutes after leaving the depot he picked up our armed man in a side street on the Forge Wood industrial estate close to the North Terminal.
There was easily enough room for him to get into the back next to ten airline trolleys packed with food. The driver then locked the seal. At 9.35pm they pulled up before security barriers at the Queens Gate entrance to the airport.
The driver had told our investigator: "This is a risky part of the trip. You mustn't move or make a sound or they will be into the truck in a second."
The driver was made to enter the gatehouse, pass through a metal detector and undergo a personal search before being cleared for entry.
Controls
Our gunman stayed silent as he heard the guards then quickly examine the security tabs on the outside of the tailgate. Then the engine spluttered into life and the two were through.
From Queen's Gate the truck headed for the North Terminal passing through a secure cargo and freight area.
The driver lifted the tailgate and he and our gunman were lose among the parked aircraft. The 200-seat Monarch aircraft—registration G-MONK— stood unattended at stand 144 with its cabin lights blazing.
It was one of four big jets—including a British Airways Boeing 777 and aircraft belonging to Air 2000 and charter line JMC—they could have accessed.
A passenger stairway led up to the Monarch jet's open main door.
Our men, with guns concealed under their jackets, explored the flight deck and sat in the captain's chair examining the dials and controls.
With no security guards in sight they took on-board pictures with their weapons, assembling a replica M16 machine gun which, if real, would be capable of firing 600 bullets a minute and a Colt M1911 .45 calibre pistol.
They looked for a place to hide the handgun for a terrorist passenger to retrieve later. The seat pockets seemed ideal.
Tucked behind the in-flight magazines, the gun would not be seen by cabin crew on their pre-flight visual checks.
The pistol could also have been hidden in any of the toilets which had already been serviced. By removing the waste bin our men found it possible to tape the weapon to the underside of the sink unit and replace the bin.
Then they examined the trays of food which they could have easily poisoned.
The trays are also an ideal size for a small bomb—as a pilot of 20 years experience who flies in and out of Gatwick every week explained later.
"I know the luggage on the plane has been scanned but I have no idea what is in the food containers which are loaded onto my aeroplane," said the pilot, who did not want to be named.
"It would be easy to fill a food container with plastic explosive and a thermal switch so the explosive was detonated as soon as the food is heated up after take-off."
When our "terrorists" left the plane they wandered unchallenged to a taxiing runway where, fingers on the triggers of the guns beneath their coats, they watched jets packed with tourists thunder by.
There were no guards around to stop them—making a mockery of repeated government claims that airport security has been tightened since the September 11 attacks.
In a recent House of Commons debate, Home Secretary David Blunkett said: "I would certainly assure everyone that it is safe to use our airports and that they should not be fearful of doing so, precisely because the measures have been put in place and the security has been provided to ensure that they can go about their business free from fear."
Our investigator and his accomplice drove away from the airport at 10.45pm. There was no security check on the way out.
The driver said: "We've shown what can be done. I want something done about the situation. What if I was being bribed or blackmailed by a terrorist group to hide real weapons or terrorists on the aircraft?"
Bomb
The pilot who contacted us pointed out another area that al-Qaeda could infiltrate—the inflight meal packers themselves. He said he and other airline staff were concerned that no security checks were made on them.
"The food is prepared by low paid workers, mostly immigrants and are not checked at all," he said.
"Once the cases full of food are completed and sealed they are not checked. Planting a bomb in a meal tray would be easy."
WE SMUGGLE M16 MACHINE GUN ABOARD GATWICK JET
INVESTIGATION by ROB KELLAWAY
A News of the World investigator has boarded a holiday jet armed with a machine gun and a pistol to expose a terrifying hole in the security at Gatwick airport.
Our reporter, who could easily have been an al-Qaeda terrorist, was smuggled past gate guards as he hid in the back of a catering lorry which was supplying in-flight meals.
Along with the driver, who helped us because he too was amazed at security lapses, our man was able to board a 200-seater Monarch airlines plane and get into the cockpit.
And the two men acted out plans for THREE separate devastating attacks that, if real, could have led to the deaths of thousands of people.
Chilling
On this occasion the guns were only replicas—but at a time when airports should be on high alert, with Britain on the brink of war with Iraq, our investigation makes chilling reading.
The undercover mission reveals a catalogue of missing or lax security checks—from firms who supply pre-packed inflight meals to airport staff responsible for checking planes before take-off.
Our men could have:
PLACED a Semtex bomb in a meal tray.
FIRED at close range at packed planes preparing for take-off.
HELPED re-enact the atrocities of September 11, leaving guns hidden aboard the jet for accomplice hijackers. Gatwick— which handles 31 million passengers a year—is only a few minutes flight from London's skyscrapers.
The driver of our truck who goes in and out of the airport every day believes our attack plans would have worked.
He said: "I contacted you because I am so scared by the state of security here I won't let my family get on a plane."
The trail of terror began at 9pm on Thursday at a depot at Manor Royal industrial park a short drive from Gatwick where the pre-packed meals and drinks are put on 7.5 tonne trucks.
The drivers are supposed to lock a plastic security seal on the back door when loading is finished to show the contents are secure. Our driver left the seal unlocked and no one checked the truck as he drove out of the gates.
"Every day hundreds of trucks pile in and out of Gatwick to service the planes and nobody knows what is inside them," he explained.
"I load up at the factory alone. I can put anything you like in the truck."
Ten minutes after leaving the depot he picked up our armed man in a side street on the Forge Wood industrial estate close to the North Terminal.
There was easily enough room for him to get into the back next to ten airline trolleys packed with food. The driver then locked the seal. At 9.35pm they pulled up before security barriers at the Queens Gate entrance to the airport.
The driver had told our investigator: "This is a risky part of the trip. You mustn't move or make a sound or they will be into the truck in a second."
The driver was made to enter the gatehouse, pass through a metal detector and undergo a personal search before being cleared for entry.
Controls
Our gunman stayed silent as he heard the guards then quickly examine the security tabs on the outside of the tailgate. Then the engine spluttered into life and the two were through.
From Queen's Gate the truck headed for the North Terminal passing through a secure cargo and freight area.
The driver lifted the tailgate and he and our gunman were lose among the parked aircraft. The 200-seat Monarch aircraft—registration G-MONK— stood unattended at stand 144 with its cabin lights blazing.
It was one of four big jets—including a British Airways Boeing 777 and aircraft belonging to Air 2000 and charter line JMC—they could have accessed.
A passenger stairway led up to the Monarch jet's open main door.
Our men, with guns concealed under their jackets, explored the flight deck and sat in the captain's chair examining the dials and controls.
With no security guards in sight they took on-board pictures with their weapons, assembling a replica M16 machine gun which, if real, would be capable of firing 600 bullets a minute and a Colt M1911 .45 calibre pistol.
They looked for a place to hide the handgun for a terrorist passenger to retrieve later. The seat pockets seemed ideal.
Tucked behind the in-flight magazines, the gun would not be seen by cabin crew on their pre-flight visual checks.
The pistol could also have been hidden in any of the toilets which had already been serviced. By removing the waste bin our men found it possible to tape the weapon to the underside of the sink unit and replace the bin.
Then they examined the trays of food which they could have easily poisoned.
The trays are also an ideal size for a small bomb—as a pilot of 20 years experience who flies in and out of Gatwick every week explained later.
"I know the luggage on the plane has been scanned but I have no idea what is in the food containers which are loaded onto my aeroplane," said the pilot, who did not want to be named.
"It would be easy to fill a food container with plastic explosive and a thermal switch so the explosive was detonated as soon as the food is heated up after take-off."
When our "terrorists" left the plane they wandered unchallenged to a taxiing runway where, fingers on the triggers of the guns beneath their coats, they watched jets packed with tourists thunder by.
There were no guards around to stop them—making a mockery of repeated government claims that airport security has been tightened since the September 11 attacks.
In a recent House of Commons debate, Home Secretary David Blunkett said: "I would certainly assure everyone that it is safe to use our airports and that they should not be fearful of doing so, precisely because the measures have been put in place and the security has been provided to ensure that they can go about their business free from fear."
Our investigator and his accomplice drove away from the airport at 10.45pm. There was no security check on the way out.
The driver said: "We've shown what can be done. I want something done about the situation. What if I was being bribed or blackmailed by a terrorist group to hide real weapons or terrorists on the aircraft?"
Bomb
The pilot who contacted us pointed out another area that al-Qaeda could infiltrate—the inflight meal packers themselves. He said he and other airline staff were concerned that no security checks were made on them.
"The food is prepared by low paid workers, mostly immigrants and are not checked at all," he said.
"Once the cases full of food are completed and sealed they are not checked. Planting a bomb in a meal tray would be easy."
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Slingsby,
Whilst I agree that the journalist has acted irresponsibly, he has now uncovered a lapse in airport security that has existed for over ten years.
I brought this to the attention of a regional airports Security Manager almost ten years ago, and still at that airport, this exact thing can happen. The DOT must either think that potential terrorists are completely stupid, or maybe it is they that have been reckless in the standards applied for the transportation of catering between production facility and aircraft side.
I trust that the airlines will make their voices heard, and get something done about this!
Back To The Bunker!
Whilst I agree that the journalist has acted irresponsibly, he has now uncovered a lapse in airport security that has existed for over ten years.
I brought this to the attention of a regional airports Security Manager almost ten years ago, and still at that airport, this exact thing can happen. The DOT must either think that potential terrorists are completely stupid, or maybe it is they that have been reckless in the standards applied for the transportation of catering between production facility and aircraft side.
I trust that the airlines will make their voices heard, and get something done about this!
Back To The Bunker!
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Tanks and armed soldiers at LHR are a waste of time in the face of these security lapses.
But. Until the airlines (and their employees also) insist that these loopholes are dealt with, the travelling public, who pay for it all directly or indirectly, will not be safe.
Commercial interest seems to overide the lipservice currently paid to full, and consistent security.
But. Until the airlines (and their employees also) insist that these loopholes are dealt with, the travelling public, who pay for it all directly or indirectly, will not be safe.
Commercial interest seems to overide the lipservice currently paid to full, and consistent security.
Last edited by Leclairage; 9th Mar 2003 at 08:00.
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Nobody seems to be picking up on the fact that the driver actively conspired with the journo to smuggle him into the airport. Of course its going to be easy. I've no doubt the truck is checked as it leaves the catering depot and is assumed to be sealed when it reaches the security gate. If the truck stops somewhere and somebody gets in the back its up to the driver to report it. He has a responsibility for security as well. If the truck driver is a terrorist plant then why bother having a man with a machine gun at all, the caterer is just as capable of planting a bomb on the aircraft. I hope the driver gets the sack immediately.
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Hand Solo says:
the caterer is just as capable of planting a bomb on the aircraft.
I guess he is right - so what level of in-house security SHOULD the airlines be furnishing to monitor all non-airline personnel on the aircraft in order to protect their passengers and crews?
the caterer is just as capable of planting a bomb on the aircraft.
I guess he is right - so what level of in-house security SHOULD the airlines be furnishing to monitor all non-airline personnel on the aircraft in order to protect their passengers and crews?
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Point 1: The driver must be sacked and made to pay at least the amount he received from the News of the World in payment.
Point 2: The Journalist, and his newspaper that sanctioned his actions, must be prosecuted.
Point 3: At my company, and I guess most (all) others, a crew arriving at a cold aircraft are required to conduct and sign for a full search before boarding commences. Therefore these items would probably have been discovered before any flight.
Point 4: The only way we can achieve 100% security in aviation is to stop flying now!
Point 2: The Journalist, and his newspaper that sanctioned his actions, must be prosecuted.
Point 3: At my company, and I guess most (all) others, a crew arriving at a cold aircraft are required to conduct and sign for a full search before boarding commences. Therefore these items would probably have been discovered before any flight.
Point 4: The only way we can achieve 100% security in aviation is to stop flying now!
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Hopefully the idiot will get prosecuted for flouting the laws like that.
..but hey, as long as the security peeps continue confiscating old ladies nailclippers, I, for one, will feel safe.
..but hey, as long as the security peeps continue confiscating old ladies nailclippers, I, for one, will feel safe.
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LR Driver is right, no doubt this will lead to yet more tightening of security with the motive being CYA as oppose to making airports more secure. All the effort they are putting in to five year ID referencing blown away by this simple ruse.
Let's face it airlines and airports have to OPERATE, as stated by a previous post we can never be 100% safe.
Wonder what would have happened had the reporter been found and quite understandably shot by armed police as he touted his fake weaponry......how we would have laughed......oooops I mean mourned!!!!
Let's face it airlines and airports have to OPERATE, as stated by a previous post we can never be 100% safe.
Wonder what would have happened had the reporter been found and quite understandably shot by armed police as he touted his fake weaponry......how we would have laughed......oooops I mean mourned!!!!
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Don't condemn this journo. You're all missing the point.
If the excessive security that is applied to cockpit/cabin crew members was 're-deployed' to the REAL risk areas this would not have happened.
They'll take away my nail file and jail me if I complain, meanwhile dodgy types can walk on my aircraft carrying who knows what.
If the excessive security that is applied to cockpit/cabin crew members was 're-deployed' to the REAL risk areas this would not have happened.
They'll take away my nail file and jail me if I complain, meanwhile dodgy types can walk on my aircraft carrying who knows what.
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I do not agree with the correspondants who suggest the journalist should be prosecuted. He has merely brought this lapse of security to the attention of those who should be responsible for maintaining it.
Had the journalist suggested that such a method could be employed to gain entry to a parked airplane, I feel sure he would have been ridiculed, and i doubt he would have been given the opportunity to demonstrate the lack of sucurity. There4 is now no doubt that some remedial action will take place, action that would not have been taken had the journalist exposed the situation. The fact that he added to the circulation of his newspaper while doing so is of no consequence.
As for the correspondant who suggested that his or her company pilots and crew are responsible for searching the airplane prior to accepting it, I do not believe that they would have uncovered the arms if hidden as suggested by the journalist.
Had the journalist suggested that such a method could be employed to gain entry to a parked airplane, I feel sure he would have been ridiculed, and i doubt he would have been given the opportunity to demonstrate the lack of sucurity. There4 is now no doubt that some remedial action will take place, action that would not have been taken had the journalist exposed the situation. The fact that he added to the circulation of his newspaper while doing so is of no consequence.
As for the correspondant who suggested that his or her company pilots and crew are responsible for searching the airplane prior to accepting it, I do not believe that they would have uncovered the arms if hidden as suggested by the journalist.
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Did not some members of the Hamburg Al Qaeda cell not work at the Hamburg Airport?
The security lapse is considerable and I hope the article serves to secure this breach.
With the details given it shouldn't be too difficult to trace the culprit!
So, our thanks for your help and here's a summons!
The security lapse is considerable and I hope the article serves to secure this breach.
With the details given it shouldn't be too difficult to trace the culprit!
So, our thanks for your help and here's a summons!
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Yet again , another nail in the industry,s coffin. Do we need these tabloid scoops. if,s but,s and maybe,s . A wannabe driver who want,s to have his 15 minutes of fame. And the news of the world giving any nutter a A to Z of attacking / interfering with airline operations , scare mongering.Most of us know what needs doing on the security aspect, the only obstacle being the CAA/BAA/and a lot of the Airlines not following basic affordable measures that they say are due to lack of funding. Passengers and Crew and ground staff deserve the best that we can do to ensure safe Air travel .
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I, too, think that people whose immediate reaction is to call for the driver and journalist to be prosecuted, are completely missing the point.
If a civilian jounalist can carry out this kind of operation, then a ruthless terrorist would have no difficulty at all.
Despite the fact that these guys profited financially, they have done us a service by highlighting the fact that the security agencies are focussing their efforts in the wrong areas.
I personally have gained no comfort whatsoever from the supposed 'heightened security' as I get the impression that most of it is purely for show - and focussed around the passengers, who can see it.
I hope that as a result of the embarrassment caused by this tabloid article and others like it, the government will do something effective to improve security at our airports.
I think that these tabloid activities hit the authorities in the right way, as I have never been deluded in to believing that they actually have a concience, or a conviction to 'do the right thing'. They mostly only respond to political embarrassment or the threat of losing money.
If a civilian jounalist can carry out this kind of operation, then a ruthless terrorist would have no difficulty at all.
Despite the fact that these guys profited financially, they have done us a service by highlighting the fact that the security agencies are focussing their efforts in the wrong areas.
I personally have gained no comfort whatsoever from the supposed 'heightened security' as I get the impression that most of it is purely for show - and focussed around the passengers, who can see it.
I hope that as a result of the embarrassment caused by this tabloid article and others like it, the government will do something effective to improve security at our airports.
I think that these tabloid activities hit the authorities in the right way, as I have never been deluded in to believing that they actually have a concience, or a conviction to 'do the right thing'. They mostly only respond to political embarrassment or the threat of losing money.
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At my company every seat pocket, bin, locker and loo is checked before and after each flight, with an enhanced security check on a cold aircraft of hatches and holds as well as flight deck stowages. These weapons, considering their size, would have been found easily (a gun behind the magazines----since 9/11 not a chance!).
It is not for journalists, or caterers, to openly flout the law in search of a good story. It is indefensible. If such actions were to be condoned imagine the havoc that would be reaped on our industry as every Tom, Dick and Harry had a go to try and get their name in lights with prosecution immunity.
They should take their concerns to the DETR, explaining their proposed method and leave them to set up a controlled test. Such tests have taken place within the last couple of years at many airports - and some have failed spectacularly!
Anyone who thinks this team carried out their 'mission' for anything other than a one-off headline is seriously mis-guided!
It is not for journalists, or caterers, to openly flout the law in search of a good story. It is indefensible. If such actions were to be condoned imagine the havoc that would be reaped on our industry as every Tom, Dick and Harry had a go to try and get their name in lights with prosecution immunity.
They should take their concerns to the DETR, explaining their proposed method and leave them to set up a controlled test. Such tests have taken place within the last couple of years at many airports - and some have failed spectacularly!
Anyone who thinks this team carried out their 'mission' for anything other than a one-off headline is seriously mis-guided!
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so, are we suprised?? what crewmember out there, who flies on a regular basis, from every major airport did not already know this????!!!
I certainly notice, on a pretty much daily basis, situations where this can occur, from catering, to maint. to just about every support service, there is plenty of opportunity, so why do so many act amazed, and call for "prosecution" of the guys that just point it out!!
Maybe it takes something like this to wake people up, because nothing else seems to change the system.
I am quite happy to see that they exposed this in a spectacular fashion, not that it will change anything, there will be all kinds of lip service paid to it, but in a week nothing will have changed.
I have to say, though, that calling for the journo and the driver to be punished is a silly request, in fact that sounds like a typical govt reaction to a problem, " do not address the actual problem, but punish the fellow that exposes it!" that type of attitude and reaction merely will send the message, " if you see something wrong, keep quiet"
I think the underlying frustration here, is that no matter how much we as crew, and the public in general would like to ensure that we, and they are completely safe, and there are no voids in security, it is not possible, completely eliminating the possibility of anything or anyone undesireable getting on an aircraft is just not a reality, and there is no point in fooling ourselves into thinking it can be.
I certainly notice, on a pretty much daily basis, situations where this can occur, from catering, to maint. to just about every support service, there is plenty of opportunity, so why do so many act amazed, and call for "prosecution" of the guys that just point it out!!
Maybe it takes something like this to wake people up, because nothing else seems to change the system.
I am quite happy to see that they exposed this in a spectacular fashion, not that it will change anything, there will be all kinds of lip service paid to it, but in a week nothing will have changed.
I have to say, though, that calling for the journo and the driver to be punished is a silly request, in fact that sounds like a typical govt reaction to a problem, " do not address the actual problem, but punish the fellow that exposes it!" that type of attitude and reaction merely will send the message, " if you see something wrong, keep quiet"
I think the underlying frustration here, is that no matter how much we as crew, and the public in general would like to ensure that we, and they are completely safe, and there are no voids in security, it is not possible, completely eliminating the possibility of anything or anyone undesireable getting on an aircraft is just not a reality, and there is no point in fooling ourselves into thinking it can be.
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Yes, another example of the Fox guarding the Henhouse. Also another example of those who wish to do harm can, and the rest of us just get searched all the time.
If the journalist is Prosecuted Im sure it will be for no other reason than some Security Exec got totally embarrassed..
Putting Bombs in Food trays in not what the upcoming events in Iraq are all about. Its what other items can they put in the food.
Im very surprised that caterers and other ground folks have not been "screened" as to their backrounds. I know here in the states that initially there was a big scramble to weed out the ex-felons and illegals. It seems now since they have done that all we have left are the TSA folks, formerly unemployable with Federal jobs for life.
If the journalist is Prosecuted Im sure it will be for no other reason than some Security Exec got totally embarrassed..
Putting Bombs in Food trays in not what the upcoming events in Iraq are all about. Its what other items can they put in the food.
Im very surprised that caterers and other ground folks have not been "screened" as to their backrounds. I know here in the states that initially there was a big scramble to weed out the ex-felons and illegals. It seems now since they have done that all we have left are the TSA folks, formerly unemployable with Federal jobs for life.
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Absolutely - it's all for show.....and they make a point specially of checking aircrew in front of all the pax. It's a complete load of bo**cks. David Blunkett hasn't got a clue - can't see the wood for the trees (no pun intended).
It would be VERY EASY for any terrorist to commit their acts of terror on UK soil.
It would be VERY EASY for any terrorist to commit their acts of terror on UK soil.
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"It is not for journalists, or caterers, to openly flout the law in search of a good story. It is indefensible. If such actions were to be condoned imagine the havoc that would be reaped on our industry as every Tom, Dick and Harry had a go to try and get their name in lights with prosecution immunity"
I don't condone people trying to get their names in lights, but I'm not sure that this was the aim of their exercise?
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Regards crew W K, correct!! but what exactly do they think that proves? you mention it may be a show for the pax, but what could the thinking be behind that? "are the pax.thinking, the crew are a potential hazard to me? so glad to see extra screening of them"
I have pondered this one alot, as of course I am subject to the extra scrutiny so often, and I just cannot figure out why they have taken such a aggresive attitude towards us, and of course while we troop back and forth through the machine doing a segmented striptease, I watch the pax line next door moving quite smoothly??
BUT, I hesitate to question any security method, even stupid ones, as I guess the intent of any method is correct, although usually once it is put into action, the intent seems to be incorrectly applied.
I have pondered this one alot, as of course I am subject to the extra scrutiny so often, and I just cannot figure out why they have taken such a aggresive attitude towards us, and of course while we troop back and forth through the machine doing a segmented striptease, I watch the pax line next door moving quite smoothly??
BUT, I hesitate to question any security method, even stupid ones, as I guess the intent of any method is correct, although usually once it is put into action, the intent seems to be incorrectly applied.