Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Pro Terrorist Tip: Hide Your Contempt For The TSA Screening
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 15, 2011
Modified Apr 15, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 15, 2011
Modified Apr 15, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
TSA screeners are instructed to keep their eyes peeled for people who are "very arrogant and expresses contempt against airport passenger procedures," according to the TSA's list of roughly 70 "behavioral indicators" obtained by CNN. In an interesting think-piece on American security theater, CNN finds that—shocker—some of the TSA's methods are unsound. Like the one where they expect the bad guys to call attention to themselves by acting like boorish jerks who hate the very screeners they're trying to tiptoe past.
The reasoning behind this approach stems from 9/11, when the alleged 20th hijacker, Mohammed al-Qahtani, "became visibly upset and arrogantly pointed his finger in the agent's face when asked why he did not have an airline ticket for a return flight." So now the TSA is looking for that exact same kind of behavior, which hasn't been spotted in a known terrorist... yet! "I think the idea that they would try to draw attention to themselves by being arrogant at airport security, it fails the common sense test," says CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen. "And it also fails what we know about their behaviors in the past."
Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport is widely regarded as one of the world's most secure, and a former director of security there tells CNN "an arrogant complaint about security is a legitimate factor to consider. But officials also should be suspicious of effusive praise. The other end of the spectrum is almost as bad, although it is maybe less offensive." So there you go, terrorists: don't be too contemptuous of the TSA screeners, nor too obsequious. In other words, be inconspicuous. Way to hand Al Qaeda our security secrets on a silver platter, CNN!
Tagged
flying
pat down
security theater
terrorism
tsa
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
5 men charged with trespassing in 2 Manhattan manhole cases
Two people who were found soaking wet and smelling of sewage say they went underground to look for jewelry, according to police and a criminal complaint.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 23, 2026 at 7:49 p.m. ET
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
The girl was walking with her mother in Maspeth on Thursday. The Department of Buildings cited the owner of a garage for “failure to maintain” it.
By
Charles Lane
News
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
The girl was walking with her mother in Maspeth on Thursday. The Department of Buildings cited the owner of a garage for “failure to maintain” it.
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani extends ban on permits for new street fairs due to NYPD overtime
By
Carol Chen
Inside the Midtown Bus Terminal rebuild: Decks over Lincoln Tunnel approach, a new park
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Black couple seeking Queens apartment sues over racist text from broker
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .