http://my.netscape.com/corewidgets/news/story.psp?cat=51180&id=2004012722050001580029WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Aviation Administration focused on
the danger of explosives aboard planes rather than a suicide
hijacking before the Sept. 11 attacks even though its own security
officers warned terrorists might try to crash an airliner, a
federal panel said Tuesday.
The FAA's Office of Civil Aviation Security considered the risk
of a suicide hijacking at least as early as March 1998, says the
preliminary report by The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks
Upon the United States.
The commission report acknowledges there was no specific
intelligence indicating suicide hijackings would occur but says the
FAA still had a responsibility to protect the flying public against
such a threat.
The commission wrapped up two days of hearings that focused on
aviation and border security lapses. The panel, which has been
investigating the Sept. 11 attacks for a year and has held seven
public hearings, wants Congress to extend its May 27 deadline by at
least two months, saying it needs more time to review all the
material.
..