TSA at MSP Airport failed 9 of 12 tests by undercover Red Team

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On Monday, a Homeland Security undercover unit called Red Team tested passenger screening at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.  It did not go well.

Source tells Fox 9, TSA agents failed 9 out of 12 tests, passed two tests and one test was inconclusive. Sources say the inconclusive test involved the full body scanner, the one where passengers lift their arms, known as Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT).  Those sources say the machine wasn’t calibrated properly and failed detect simulated explosive material that was strapped to an undercover agent’s leg.

A separate Red Team tested MSP cargo, and MSP passed both tests. 

What the Red Team found at MSP wasn’t unusual.  In June 2015, a classified Inspector General’s report revealed that undercover testers at some of the nation’s busiest airports were able to get weapons past TSA agents in 67 out of 70 tests – a 95 percent failure rate.

The Red Team test at MSP is believed to be the first since passenger screening was reconfigured with consolidated screening at the north and south end of the ticketing concourse. The redesign led to 90-minute wait times during the spring break travel season and calls by Minnesota Congressional leaders to improve wait times.

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