FROM THE PAGES OF THE AL-QAIDA TRAINING MANUAL
I have a new-found respect for baggage screeners everywhere. This was my thought when I was introduced to an inert improvised explosive device (IED) manufactured by JMDS - a company out of Atlanta that specializes in security training aids. The device looks like a normal electric shaver; the type typically found in the suitcase of a traveling businessman. The only difference between this IED and a normal shaver is that when this device is turned on it goes boom! This inert IED was designed exactly in accordance with the plans outlined in the Al-Qaida Training Manual seized from the terrorists' training camps in Afghanistan.
ED is an acronym buzzing around most news stories from Iraq. These improvised explosive devices are not only a concern in Iraq but also for transportation security officials worldwide. IEDs are explosives that are meant to look innocently like common items but are indeed filled with an explosive charge that can be detonated remotely or automatically.
John M. Duffey, president of JMDS Combat Training Support Services, explains; "The SK-5200 is inconspicuous when examined externally and can be easily overlooked by visual searches. The electric motor has been removed and replaced with a wedge of Symtex". The deadliness of the device is apparent only when viewed through a high-resolution fluoroscopic x-ray machine and by trained personnel.
"This device is designed to detonate when the on-off switch is moved to the [on] position. It uses the already established power supply and circuitry to detonate a one-ounce wedge of Symtex compound - enough to yield a devastating explosion similar in effect to the simultaneous detonation of two standard military hand grenades". John adds.
Most people are not aware of the level of intricacy of these devices and therefore cannot appreciate the complexity of a baggage screener's job. As a population we should be more concerned with helping these individuals do their job, after all, these are the individuals charged with ensuring our safety. Traveler's complaints go straight to the airlines which in turn take their amassed complaints to federal agencies like the Transportation Safety Agency (TSA). The agency responsible for overseeing the safety of U.S. travelers, is now more concerned with "throughput" and timely flights than they are in finding IEDs, and other dangerous items such as the one mentioned in this article.
We need to take a step in the right direction and address both of these issues adequately. Xray Integration Technologies did just that when it introduced its new line of fluoroscopic x-ray machines. At a fraction of the cost of most machines currently in use, Xray Integration Technologies's fluoroscopic screening devices go beyond the limits of the aforementioned machines and have set a new standard in screening and safety.
Besides the detection of common contraband like knives and other weapons, these devices can detect anything from drugs, large sums of cash and IEDs to biological and chemical agents as well as liquids. This is all done in real-time and with no "digital" or color coding.
Contact Xray Integration Technologies for more information or to schedule a presentation for your agency. |
Kinetic Depth Effect and Identification of Shape
George Sperling and Michael S. Landy -
New York University
Barbara A. Dosher -
Columbia University
Mark E. Perkins -
New York University |
KINETIC DEPTH EFFECT X-RAY (KDEX) IMAGING FOR SECURITY SCREENING
J P 0 Evans
The Nottingham Trent University, UK |
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