Group Effort

A bomb can be readily smuggled aboard an airplane, argues Sgt. David Cortez, a 24-year veteran of the Ft. Worth, Texas, police department and a black belt in karate. He has just authored a new book, titled A Personal Guide for Cabin and Cockpit Self Defense, that is aimed primarily at pilots and flight attendants. The book uses extensive photos to illustrate some of the defensive techniques that can be used against terrorists.

Here's what Cortez says about a bomb:

"Items such as the battery areas of cell phones and laptop computers ... thermos coffee jugs, 35mm cameras and film canisters could easily carry small amounts of plastic explosives.

"With this method, several passengers could collectively carry enough explosive material aboard an airplane to build an improvised explosive device in flight. Any electronic wires needed for such a device could be hidden inside belts with metal buckles, pants, or jacket linings."

He provides a number of examples of terrorist diversion, distraction and deployment techniques. Here are two:

"Example 1: A terrorist pretending to be a passenger in flight may become agitated and fake a heart attack or chest pains, creating an in-flight episode to determine if the pilot will be disciplined enough to stay in the cockpit. Just because post-9/11 FAA regulations stipulate this does not mean that each and every one of the 50,000 pilots, industry wide, will comply with those regulations. This would allow secondary terrorist team members to determine who the pilot is and whether or not he is armed, and further determine size and gender. This task is often pre-planned and accomplished, undetected, using hand and arm signals, or no signs at all, to maintain anonymity. This method of observation defines individual capability.

"Example 2: A terrorist portraying a pregnant woman fakes contractions in an effort to generate attention away from another terrorist team member during flight. This may be executed as a diversion, creating time for a secondary team member to build an explosive device in flight, or retrieve a weapon, or perhaps leave a weapon or note. Once again, this is accomplished in secrecy or perhaps in the lavatory." >> Cortez, tel. 469/955-8610 <<