WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. airlines are still checking passengers against incomplete lists of suspected terrorists, the chairman of the 9/11 commission testified Monday.
Commission Chairman Thomas Kean and Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton described the practice as one of numerous security lapses that leave aviation vulnerable to terrorist attack, CNN reported.
"We are a mobile, dynamic society," Hamilton told the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. "We depend upon open, accessible transportation systems. Terrorists know that. It's the reason they target transportation, and it's why we must stop them."
The federal government does not currently give airlines the names of all suspected terrorists because it does not want to tip off terrorists or compromise intelligence sources, Keran said. However, he added, how could the U.S. government explain to the American people if an individual were allowed to board and attack a commercial plane when we knew that person was a terrorist.
The commissioners said their report's intelligence recommendations should not overshadow the need to address security lapses in aviation and transportation.
