McCaul questions Times Square suspect's access to getaway flight

Posted by Stewart Powell
Houston Chronicle: Texas on the Potomac Blog

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, says good luck is playing too large a role in protecting the United States against suspected terrorist attacks.

The former Justice Department prosecutor and counterterrorism specialist commented in the aftermath of authorities' arrest of the suspected New York City car bomber who allegedly tried to ignite a device in the crowded confines of Times Square on Saturday night.

"This is the second time in four months that luck and a terrorist's incompetence prevented the mass murder of Americans," said McCaul, the top Republican on the Homeland Security Intelligence Subcommittee.

"We cannot count on luck as a national security strategy."

McCaul hailed passers-by who were "vigilant in notifying police of suspicious activity" and law enforcement and intelligence officials who identified and arrested Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad before he managed to leave the United States aboard a flight bound for Dubai.

But McCaul said he remained "greatly concerned" that Shahzad had been able to board an international flight in the first place after being placed on the "No Fly List."

"I look forward to a clearer understanding of what happened between the time Shahzad was identified and the time he boarded the plane," said McCaul.

"While we are still early in the investigation, ultimately Congress needs to ensure that all passengers are checked against real time information from our intelligence community, and that officials are instantly able to act on that information," McCaul said. "Anything short of this is inexcusable."