Airline-industry security officials say the potential for another 9-11-style attack on the U.S. is still high – especially from foreign, cross-Atlantic flights not heeding security precautions adopted by U.S. carriers following the 2001 terrorist-hijacking suicide assaults.

Risk analysis evaluations done by security officials show the threat of flight from Europe hitting a major U.S. target is still high, reveals Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium, online intelligence newsletter published by WND.

Trans-Atlantic flights more vulnerable to terror?

The report indicates security officials have hard intelligence terrorists based in Europe or in the Middle East might once again use a passenger plane to hit a U.S. target – not necessarily a high-profile target such as in the case of the Twin Towers or the Pentagon, but rather a target that could result in mass destruction such as nuclear and chemical plants or ammunition depots.

The analysis is based in part on the fact passengers of diverse ethnicities and religions use cross-Atlantic flights from such countries as the UK and Germany. Air-travel security officers are of the opinion such a hijacking attack can be planned to occur at the end of a long flight when passengers and cabin crew are less alert.

One major weakness, which terrorists might exploit to their advantage in such a scenario, is what analysts call "the knock on the door surprise," reports G2 Bulletin. Many airlines arriving in the U.S., they say, whether originating in Europe or elsewhere, do not adhere to basic security requirements such as keeping the cockpit door locked from before takeoff until after landing.

One option being weighed is to force every airline, whether carrying a U.S. flag or not, to employ rigid measures, including training of cabin personnel on how to behave if a suspicious passenger tries to reach the cockpit area.

In one scenario, hijackers reach the cockpit by going to the washroom closest to it. This is definitely a possibility for business or first-class passengers, or even for others who simply choose the right moment to walk into the restricted area.

One analyst believes terrorists might try to threaten the lives of passengers and cabin crew to convince the pilots to open the cockpit door. Such a situation could be the most difficult to handle, since some foreign pilots are not trained to handle the horrific possibility of passengers and crew being executed by the terrorists.

Experts stress the need to have a fortified cockpit door, including the possibility of adding a small video camera covering the immediate area around the door and maybe even throughout the cabin.

Not every flight arriving in the U.S. originates from countries with high-security standards, and terrorists are known to have the ability to examine possibilities on aircraft arriving from all corners of the world.

World leaders at the G8 summit this week endorsed 28 wide-ranging measures to improve international airline security in the face of increased terrorist threats.

"Terrorist attacks against the transportation system remain a serious threat to our citizens and to world commerce," the leaders of the world's eight most developed democracies said in a joint statement announcing their action.

The 28 steps, many to be implemented by the end of 2005, include boosting passenger screening and information exchanges, tightening the security of travel documents, enhancing intelligence sharing and accelerating the destruction of shoulder-launched missiles.

At the same time, the G8 said it would move to streamline and standardize security procedures in an effort to limit disruption and delays in the movement of passengers and cargo by land, sea and air.

In addition, the leaders of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the U.S. pledged to expand cooperation outside their borders by inviting non-G8 nations to participate in parts of the initiative.

The so-called "G8 Action Program" for global transportation was adopted just days after the publication of a new threat to attack western aircraft in Saudi Arabia that was issued in the name of the Islamist militant group al-Qaida.

U.S. officials had earlier acknowledged general concerns about elements of the proposal, particularly as they relate to privacy issues in the sharing of airline passenger data which has been an irritant in U.S.-European relations.

The European Parliament has objected to an EU-U.S. agreement to share personal information about passengers including credit card numbers, phone numbers and meal preferences.

To ease those concerns, the G8 leaders in their statement took note that security measures must be compatible with national and international privacy standards, the officials said.

"We recognize the urgency of our need to work together to counter the terrorist threat within a framework that fully respects the sovereign rights of states to control their borders and that is in compliance with domestic laws and international obligations relating to privacy," they said.

Other steps envisioned by the program include reducing the vulnerability of G8 nation airports to shoulder-fired missiles and expanding the real-time exchange of specific threats to cover information about lost and stolen passports, as sharing visa and terrorism watchlists.

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