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Bare feet to pat-downs: Five big changes in TSA screening at airports

Security screening at US airports has undergone waves of changes in the years since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.

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New Yorker convicted in plot to bomb subways

A jury deliberated for just two days before returning guilty verdicts for Adis Medunjanin on terrorism charges.
Underwear bomber gets life: He never expressed doubt or remorse, judge says

Underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, sentenced to multiple life sentences, declared in federal court in Detroit: 'Mujahideen are proud to kill in the name of God.'
The day America changed

A timeline of events on September 11, 2001 and beyond.
Osama bin Laden dead: How the US found him

Years of 'persistent hard work' led US intelligence to a complex about 50 miles northeast of Islamabad, Pakistan, where a 40-minute US special forces strike left Osama bin Laden dead.
Obama: Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden killed by US forces

President Obama announced Sunday night that Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden – the mastermind behind the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 – had been killed by US Special Forces in Pakistan.
Peter King hearings: Are American Muslims the problem or the solution?

A hearing chaired by Rep. Peter King to investigate radicalization within the American Muslim community touches on an important topic, terrorism experts say. But they question the tone.
Airport passenger profiling -- not so simple

A new poll shows 70 percent of Americans support profiling that singles out terrorist suspects for extra screening. What's the best way to profile?
Bare feet to pat-downs: Five big changes in TSA screening at airports

Security screening at US airports has undergone waves of changes in the years since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.
Faisal Shahzad, French terror arrests, and drone strikes: evidence of a working strategy?

Faisal Shahzad, the would-be Times Square bomber, was sentenced today as French police arrested alleged militants. Policing and intelligence-sharing has improved dramatically since 9/11.
Life sentence for Faisal Shahzad, could join shoe bomber in Colorado

The judge sent Faisal Shahzad to prison for the rest of his life. His crime – attempting to bomb Times Square – was serious, and he was defiant in court appearances.
Terrorism & Security
Qatari diplomat causes bomb scare after smoking cigarette in airplane bathroom

Military jets were scrambled to escort a Boeing 757 to the ground after a Qatari diplomat was caught smoking a cigarette, reflecting how jittery America still is about suspicious activity on an airplane.
White House to security critics: We are tough, just like Bush

As Republicans continue their unrelenting criticism of the Obama administration's national security measures, the White House points out similarities to the Bush era. But that raises Democrats' hackles.
Biden vs. Cheney: three points of dispute

Vice President Joe Biden and former Vice President Dick Cheney dueled Sunday over the terrorist threat and the appropriate US response. They are at odds over the Iraq war, the Christmas Day bomber, and the nature of the terrorist threat confronting America.
Connecting the terrorist dots of 2009

They show that Al Qaeda does not have a political strategy for establishing an Islamic state.
Tradeoffs after Obama’s meeting with security advisors

The Obama administration takes concrete steps after the Christmas Day bombing attempt on Flight 253. But some of the decisions carry risk.
US-bound passengers from 14 countries face new airport security

New airport security rules mean travelers from 14 countries including Nigeria and Yemen will be subject to mandatory extra screening – including full-body pat-downs – before they can board a flight to the US.
Calling it ‘war’, Obama pegs Christmas Day attack to Al Qaeda

Responding to critics of what is seen as his measured approach, Obama says the “nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred." He calls for national unity.
Why more airport security doesn't stop terrorist attacks

Airport security measures change in response to every plot, and the Christmas Day terrorist attack is no different. But use of screening technologies hasn't kept up with new terrorist methods.
Last line of defense against in-flight terrorism: passengers

Terrorism on 9/11 permanently altered how passengers respond to airline hijackings, rewriting the conventional wisdom that the best way for passengers to stay safe is to stay quiet.
Terrorism & Security
Yemen ties of Northwest bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab test Guantanamo plans

Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who attempted to bomb a Northwest flight on Christmas day, claims ties to Al Qaeda in Yemen, pressuring the Obama administration's plans to shut down the Guantanamo prison facility. Nearly half of its detainees are from Yemen.
Echoes of 2001 shoe bomber in Detroit attack

In both cases, passengers and crew subdued the alleged bomber before the explosive material could fully ignite. In the Detroit attack, passengers heard popping noises and saw suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's pants on fire when they intervened, according to court documents.
Detroit attack: terrorist once again confounds airport security

From 9/11 to the Christmas Day attack on Northwest Flight 253 over Detroit, terrorists have changed their tactics to get around airport security.
UK approach to militant Islamists holds lessons for US

The UK says the US could learn from its counter-terrorism strategies to handle militant Islamists, which include increased cooperation between intelligence agencies and reaching out to Britain's 2.5 million Muslims.
Who are Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other accused terrorists?

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others are to stand trial in New York. Here's the evidence federal prosecutors will use against them.
Terrorist plots uncovered in the US since 9/11

At least 21 plots to launch attacks on American soil have been thwarted. Here's a chronology.