Jerusalem: Israeli security firm ICTS and
its subsidiaries are under scrutiny for failing to prevent
Nigerian bomb suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab from boarding
the US plane and attempting to blow it up.
As experts try to pinpoint security lapses into the
incident that has raised eyebrows, Israeli daily Ha`aretz
today said that the ICTS security officers and their
supervisors should have suspected the passenger, even without
having early intelligence available to them.
"Even if US intelligence failed and the name of the
Nigerian passenger was not pinpointed as a suspect for the
airline, he should have stirred the suspicion of the security
officers," the daily said.
"His age, name, illogical travel route, high-priced
ticket purchased at the last minute, his boarding without
luggage (only a carry-on) and many other signs should have
been sufficient to alert the security officers and warrant
further examination of the suspect," it stressed.
ICTS and Dutch security firm, G4S, are at the moment
hurling bitter recriminations at each other as are the
authorities at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the Federal
Aviation Authority and US intelligence officials over the
security lapse.
The Netherland based Israeli security firm
was established in 1982 by former agents of Israel`s internal
security agency, Shin Bet and former El Al airline security
agents.
PTI
