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Rep. Ed Markey On Cargo Safety

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Investigators search for suspicious packages on a plane stopped in Mumbai, India. (AP)
Investigators search for suspicious packages on a plane stopped in Mumbai, India. (AP)

Late last month, packages containing explosive-laden printer equipment were intercepted in Britain and Dubai. The bombs had been mailed in Yemen and addressed to Chicago. Their detection, thanks to intelligence by the Saudi Arabian government, has led to close scrutiny of the international air cargo industry.

Rep. Ed Markey (courtesy photo)
Rep. Ed Markey (courtesy photo)

On Monday, new security rules were issued by the Department of Homeland Security. All cargo from Yemen, as well as Somalia, is now banned in the U.S. and Britain. So are certain types of printer equipment. But these aren't the first rules to try to tighten cargo security.

Rep. Ed Markey has been focusing on cargo security since September 11th. When the 9/11 Commission recommended the screening of all packages in passenger planes, Markey brought legislation requiring exactly that.

Now he says he'll bring new legislation to ensure the screening of all cargo flights in the U.S.

Guest:

  • Ed Markey, representative, Massachusetts' 7th congressional district

This program aired on November 9, 2010.

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