Islamist Pilots Pose 'Insider Threat', Warn Security Experts

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Islamist Pilots Pose 'Insider Threat', Warn Security Experts Authored by Paul Sperry via RealClearInvestigations,When the Federal Aviation Administration reinforced cockpit doors…

When the Federal Aviation Administration reinforced cockpit doors after the 9/11 hijackings, it turned flight decks into fortresses to lock out terrorists. But what if a terrorist is already inside?

That question has new urgency following the harrowing Sept. 30 attack aboard a FlyDubai flight in which a Muslim extremist (Islamist) pilot was forcefully stopped by a heroic pilot and brave passengers from crashing a plane bound for Israel.

Former aviation security officials say the FAA needs to reassess threats inside cockpits and the measures intended to counter them. They say this review is especially urgent because the agency has made insider threats to the cockpit more likely by recently forcing airlines to add a secondary barrier to the cockpit in the form of a metal gate on new planes.

Experts say the added security, while well-intentioned, could backfire following al-Qaeda's call last month for Islamist pilots to carry out more suicide attacks inside cockpits and for followers to infiltrate the ranks of pilots. Al-Qaeda has reestablished terror training camps in Afghanistan, along with recruiting and propaganda organs, echoing its pre-9/11 potency.

Enhanced security measures designed to lock out threats could merely lock in an attacker. At the same time, the FAA is adding more people to the flight deck under a new training program that lets air traffic controllers sit as passengers in cockpit jump seats to observe operations up close, potentially opening up more security issues with relative "strangers" in the cockpit. All major U.S. carriers have agreed to participate in the program, which will vet controllers at the airport prior to takeoff but won't screen them in advance for extremist views.

Aviation security experts also say airlines must do more to identify pilots who may hold extremist views or show signs of mental illness. At least two U.S.-based Islamist pilots have been suspended in the wake of the FlyDubai incident.

"Pilots who have openly espoused and…

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