The United States government has announced a new security screening system designed to improve on the controversial directive to conduct mandatory screening of travelers from 14 countries, which was implemented following the failed Christmas Day bombing in Detroit.
The new system will rely on an intelligence-based approach to stop suspected terrorists from entering the country by airliners, and was announced after the completion of a three-month security review ordered by President Obama.
Officials have said security screeners will now determine which passengers require a secondary screening based on traits of known terror suspects, including name, physical description and travel patterns, according to Voice of America (VOA).
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley was quoted by the news source as saying that airport screenings will also incorporate multiple random layers of security, such as explosives trace detection, advanced imaging technology, canine teams and pat downs.
The new approach has received praise from many quarters, including the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), whose national executive director Nihad Awad said that "we applaud the [new] policy because it does what security experts and civil libertarians have always asked for — it screens passengers based on actual suspicious behaviors or actions, not on national origin or religion." 