Terror threats ever present

A cell phone taped to a bottle of Pepto-Bismol isn't inherently dangerous. That odd combination, along with three knives, a box cutter and watches in an air traveler's checked luggage triggered further inspection Monday when the passenger changed planes and was not on the same flight as his luggage.

Authorities had suspected that the incident was a dry run for a terror plot, although the Yemeni men later were released without charge by Dutch authorities. Officials later learned that Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al-Soofi and Hezam al Murisi missed flights to Washington International Airport from Chicago and United Airlines then booked them on the same flight to Amsterdam. Al-Soofi was carrying $7,000 in cash, which also raised suspicions. Neither man, however, was on terror watch lists.

Although this apparently was a false alarm, this incident illustrates that the threat of terrorism is never ending and much vigilance is necessary in the post-Sept. 11 world. It also speaks to the challenges that luggage screeners encounter because it is not uncommon for people to pack unusual items in their bags. For that matter, none of the items in al-Soofi's suitcase were illegal to put in a checked bag. As Todd Curtis, founder of Airsafe.com and an airline security expert told the Detroit Free Press, "If you stopped everyone in the plane with weird stuff in their luggage, half the plane would be empty."

The good news is federal and Dutch authorities worked cooperatively to assess a perceived threat, knowing all too well that any complacency on the part of front-line screeners, law enforcement and government agencies can result in catastrophe.

Those bent on committing terrorist acts will continually seek to circumvent security policies and practices. Knowing that acts of terror cannot be eliminated, America and its allies must employ their best efforts to detect these plots and diffuse them however possible.