Report Says Canadian Airports Vulnerable

May 22, 2007
'Critical gap' in security if attackers stormed checkpoints with weapons

OTTAWA -- A newly released report says Canada's major airports are vulnerable to terrorists.

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority says attackers bent on storming through preboarding checkpoints with weapons could easily get through.

The authority calls it a ''critical gap'' in airport security.

And it's calling for a beefed-up police presence, and faster response times by airport cops, to protect lives.

An internal report obtained by Broadcast News under the Access to Information Act says, typically, police response times at major airports are less than five minutes.

But the authority says even within a one- or two-minute time period, a terrorist or other attacker can cause significant damage and kill or injure people at the screening line.

The heavily censored 2006 report says airport authority officers intercepted 650-thousand prohibited items last year, some of them dangerous weapons.