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The second attack occurred later that month, on May 29, 1972. In
what became known as the Lod Airport Massacre three members of the
terrorist group, Japanese Red Army, arrived at the airport aboard
an Air France flight from Paris. Once inside the airport they grabbed
automatic firearms from their carry-on cases and fired at airport
staff and visitors. In the end, 26 people died and 80 people were
injured.
"We are not talking theoretically about terrorism and security," says
Zeev Sarig, who was at Lod Airport the day of the killings and is
now Managing Director of the airport. "We
saw, we felt it and we are acting accordingly to prevent it."
Security at the Ben-Gurion Airport in Israel emphasizes intelligence gathering.
Once inside the terminal, security is almost invisible. But it's omnipresent. Here, no one gets through an airport door without permission. All people and luggage go through high-tech screening machines. But Avi Rimon, head of security at Ben-Gurion Airport, says technology is only part of the puzzle. "Technology detects abilities of a terrorist and does not detect his intent," Rimon says.
That's why Ben-Gurion Airport security staff emphasize intelligence gathering in security. Every passenger going through Ben-Gurion Airport undergoes questioning. Israel won't divulge the specifics of its process, but it will say that screeners ask a multitude of questions fitted to each individual. The questions allow screeners to assess behaviour patterns. The screeners, most of whom are young people who have finished their compulsory military duty, learn exactly what to look for and how to rate a passenger as a possible threat. The more suspicious a passenger, the more intensively screened that person will be.
Israeli secuity screeners were suspicious of Richard Reid and placed an armed
Air Marshall beside him on the flight.
Consider the case of Richard Reid. He's the man who tried to blow up an American Airlines flight bound for Miami from Paris in December 2001. Passengers restrained him when he tried to ignite his shoelaces. Screening machines had failed to detect the explosive chemicals Reid was carrying in his shoes and he was allowed to board the plane.
But, earlier that year, Israel had also encountered Richard Reid. Scanning machines at Ben-Gurion Airport did not detect any explosive chemicals on Reid, but Israeli security screeners were soon suspicious of him. In the end, they only allowed Reid to board his flight after moving him to the rear of the aircraft and placing an armed Air Marshall beside him. Reid could not make a move.
Critics of the Israeli security system argue that the intrusive questioning at Ben-Gurion Airport often amounts to racial profiling. But, Israel argues the questioning is necessary for effective airport security and the safety of travellers.