Are the World's Most-Secure Locations Safe?

April 12, 2007 — -- The White House, the Louvre, the Academy Awards: their layers of security are so intense, the chance of a full-fledged attack seems highly unlikely.

Or maybe not. The bomb that rocked Iraq's parliament building Thursday and killed at least eight people was a reminder that even the most-guarded places on earth can be penetrated by deadly forces.

Those who have been there attest that everyone who enters the Green Zone must clear a series of up to five separate checkpoints. The scrutiny is intense -- metal detectors, full-body detection wands, ID checks and cold-faced guards.

While an investigation will be needed to determine the source of the bomb, one veteran security specialist believes it's possible the explosive was smuggled into the Green Zone by someone on the inside.

"One of the very possible scenarios is that one of these satchels of explosives may have been brought in by people we trust," said Lou Palumbo, president of the Elite Security Agency and a former law enforcement official who has been involved in private security for more than two decades.

Palumbo speculated that a diplomat or other trustworthy figure could have skirted security and sneaked in the bomb. He said that despite comprehensive security checks in the Green Zone, certain people manage to avoid inspection because of their status -- just as before 9/11, senators and congressman often got around security lines in the U.S. Capitol.

In Iraq, "when you enter the Green Zone the vehicle is inspected. ... But if you're a diplomat or you have a certain level of immunity, you can carry in a trunk and they're not going to look at it," he said.

Mole or Not, Breaches Can Be Basic

Intrigue dramas such as "24" and "Ocean's 11" keep fans on the edge of their seats with the insider or the mole: the connected character who helps an outsider breach the most air-tight institutions. Security analysts say that in real life, just about anyone can get in just about anywhere with the aid of someone on the inside.

"The integrity of the security solution ... clearly is an important factor," said James Schmitt, senior vice president of the international security consultancy firm ArmorGroup. "It's only as strong as its weakest link, so if there were to be a compromise of any individuals entrusted to provide security, that could be an extreme risk. That could mean the total elimination of the integrity of that process."

But Schmitt doesn't believe a mole was involved in the explosion at the Iraq's parliament building. Having worked in the Green Zone and witnessed its layers of security, he found it hard to believe that thorough screening procedures for every entrant weren't in place.

"It would be very surprising to me that status would have any role whatsoever," he said about Green Zone security screening. "One of the tenets of security is that it applies equally to all individuals."

When the security of a seemingly locked-down institution like the Iraqi parliament is breached, it reveals the accessibility of everyday places: an airport, a shopping mall, an office building. Palumbo said the United States simply doesn't have enough resources to protect all those places.

"The security in the rest of the buildings is for the most part marginal. They're not going to prevent a suicide bomber, they're not going to prevent somebody from bringing in a briefcase of explosives," he said. "We don't have the physical assets to protect everything. A lot of what goes on with police forces being out there -- it's just feel-good."

And then there are the high-value targets, high-profile places and events such as the White House and the Super Bowl. According to Schmitt, they're always vulnerable to terrorists because of what they mean to the United States.

"There's a symbolic factor," he said. "Any of these symbols of the Western power base are always at risk, particularly since 9/11."

Sticking to One Standard

So how do safety officials work to keep security tight in the post 9/11 era?

Palumbo, whose clients include ABC News, major awards shows and A-list celebrities, said it's all about protecting the perimeter and putting down layers of defense.

"You go out to the perimeter and you identify any point that would appear to be a liability to you. You have to identify choke points for guests to arrive," he said. "After you do that, you put in the technology to support you -- magnetometers [metal detectors], bomb dogs."

But he used Thursday's deadly explosion at Iraq's parliament to point out that hazy screening processes can shatter even the most comprehensive security plan. He believes stringent rules with no exceptions are the only way to prevent major breaches from happening in Iraq.

"You establish one standard and it applies universally to all. No exceptions. That's how you have a security program that's going to be successful," Palumbo said. "This is their wake-up call. We oftentimes don't prevent, we react. And this is going to be one of those lessons, again."