Since September 11, 2001, billions of dollars have been spent on airport security. But a newly released report indicates that there have been some serious lapses. In thousands of cases, passengers have breached airport security.
More than 5 billion passengers have had to empty their pockets, take off their shoes and send their bags through screening since the 2001 terrorist attacks.
According to a /*Transportation Security Administration*/ (TSA) report, 25,000 other passengers have been involved in security breaches. That is more than five security breaches a year at each of the country's 457 airports.
"I think the proof is in the fact that there hasn't been any kind of a terrorist incident since TSA's inception," said TSA Spokesman Nico Melendez.
The TSA was put into place to screen passengers, and the screening has been evolving over the years to include full-body scans.
Yet the security breaches include more than 14,000 people who found their way into sensitive areas of Airports. Six-thousand travelers have found their way past TSA checkpoints without proper screening.
"Things happen at airports. Doors get opened. People do things they are not supposed to," said Melendez. "Since the term 'breach' is so broadly defined we can't really pinpoint what exactly the one problem is."
Just last week there was a warning that terrorists are considering surgically implanting bombs in humans.
A Nigerian-American man with an expired boarding pass was able to get on several flights.
A stun gun was found on a JetBlue flight from Boston to Newark.
Concerns about possible terrorist attacks have increased as the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches. Experts believe that some terrorists might try and take advantage of that date.
