Special Security Bulletin 

APSA has reviewed a number of recent reports of suspicious activity in airports and airliners in the past few months.  We have also consulted individual air marshals, flight crewmembers and the Federal Air Marshal Association on these reports.

While we recognize cultural differences and increased public sensitivity in this environment have unfairly targeted innocent middle eastern individuals on a number of aircraft, these factors are insufficient to explain the degree or similarity of suspicious, coordinated activity reported across multiple flights and locales in the last few months.

In the case of the widely reported Northwest 327 incident involving Syrian musicians, while the musicians did have a legitimate performance booked and are known in Syria, all except one were traveling on expired visas and it was reported the band published songs glorifying suicide bombings.  An air marshal onboard the aircraft was concerned about some of the musicians’ behavior, but stated the threat was not great enough to take overt action.  He arranged for law enforcement to meet the aircraft on arrival and interview the musicians.  The air marshal’s account is markedly different than that of two unrelated passengers, who independently said they were in fear for their lives. 

The House Judiciary Committee is investigating the FBI’s handling of the event and would like to interview the flight crew if they are amenable.

A significant number of reports APSA has reviewed corroborate bulletins issued by the FBI last winter during the Orange Terror Condition, and very recent ones from the Federal Air Marshal Association, which assert terrorists are doing “dry runs” for new airliner hijackings.

While the investigation of NW327 continues, we advise our members the volume of corroborating reports from passengers, flight crews and air marshals, of the filming of security checkpoints and cockpit doors, movements by the same or groups of passengers to the lavatory multiple times during a flight while carrying a container, and groups of related men simultaneously standing at the moment the pilot announces descent, are not consistent with normal passenger behavior, especially in the post-9/11 world.

We caution flight crews and passengers that the Homeland Security Department’s reported lack of ‘specific intelligence’ does not mean terrorist probes are not taking place.  The same lack of specific intelligence was reported just prior to 9/11.  We also note, an FBI bulletin issued on Sunday, August 1, warned of the continued possibility of the use of airliners as weapons against targets in New York and Washington, and individual air marshals confirm the probes.

We urge passengers and flight crews -- in the strongest possible terms -- to exercise sensible vigilance for unusual behavior, but restraint against overreaction -- and especially to use robust security procedures at all times in the face of the continued terrorist threat.

APSA is in the final stages of implementing the new Questionable/Suspicious Activities Reporting System (QSAR) to allow flight crews to anonymously report activities in a shared database.