Operation Bojinka

Operation Bojinka

Introduction

Operation Bojinka is considered to be a planned series of terrorist attacks that was scheduled for January, 1995. The most significant elements of this operation included the following:

The assassination of Pope John Paul II during his tour to the Phillipines planned on 15th January.

The planned bombing including eleven airplanes on 21st and 22nd January.

The flying of a Cessna filled with the explosives in to the headquarters of CIA situated in Langley, Virginia.

The core aim of the Operation Bojinka was to destroy the airplanes in the middle of flights and harm the passengers. It is further observed that the flights involved in the Operation Bojinka involved trans oceanic routes between the United States and the East Asia. It was a thoughtful plan of placing the bombs on the first legs abroad the planes, and then moving them to the second legs. It is significant that this operation was a result of the lack of security effective security systems at the airports and in the airlines. The core focus of this paper is to identify and discuss the changes in the airline security that occurred after this operation.

Discussion

After the evidence of Operation Bojinka, the government planned that there should be effective security on the airports to avoid such operations and terrorist attacks in the future. It was unfortunate that even after the changes in security, the airport and airline security was not completely up to the mark to avoid the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The 9/11 attacks was a significant consequence that emerged after Operation Bojinka. It was observed that the airport screening services were provided by private organizations that were contracted with the airport or airlines before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The transportation security administration was implemented in November, 2001 at all the airports of the United States for managing and controlling screening. This system introduced locked and bulletproof cockpit doors (Elias, 2010). It is further observed that Argenbright Security had issues before in May, 2000 because of hiring 1300 untrained security guards. Some of these security guards also had previous criinal records and they were hired for the Philadelphia International Airport. This organization was at on probation at the time of 9/11 attacks, and their probation period was extended to October, 2005 due to the occurrence of these attacks. The following are the ways in which the security of airlines and airports were aimed to be improved by the government.

Improved Security on Airplanes

The doors of the cockpit have been made of bulletproof material and have also been further strengthened for the prevention of unauthorized access. It is further observed that the passengers are now not allowed to enter the cockpit during the flight. Airplanes contain CCTV cameras, so it becomes easy for the pilots to monitor the cabin activities within the airplanes. For the purpose of security, the pilots are also allowed to carry a gun, but it is essential for them to be trained for operating it. In the United States, more air marshals are now ...