Official: No laser, terrorism link
Latest aircraft lasering Sunday
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI investigation into recent incidents involving laser beams aimed at aircraft has found no link to terrorism, the Department of Homeland Security's transportation security chief said Monday.
"There's not any evidence that these lasers are being used by terrorists," said Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary of border and transportation security. "The FBI certainly continues to investigate and look at these fact scenarios. It's also a safety issue that the Department of Transportation would certainly want to look at."
The FBI is investigating eight incidents since Christmas involving lasers -- or lights believed to be lasers -- directed at various aircraft across the nation, including incidents in the District of Columbia, Ohio, Colorado and New Jersey. All of the pilots were able to land without incident.
On Sunday, pilots of a United Airlines flight heading from Nashville, Tennessee, to Chicago, Illinois, reported seeing a green laser beam shortly after takeoff, United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski told The Associated Press.
Hutchinson noted that laser pointers "can be off-the-shelf technology" that is easily obtained.
"We do not know whether it is pranksters, whether it is criminal conduct -- we don't know completely. That's what's got to be checked out," he said. "It's going to be reviewed completely and there's not any indication that this is endangering the safety of the passengers on the flights."
Earlier, law enforcement officials speaking to CNN noted that the recent "flurry" of laser incidents followed national news reports on the topic, and it's likely the reports prompted some "experimentation" by individuals.
The officials said the incidents appear to be isolated.
While not downplaying the risk to pilots, the officials stressed it would take a great deal of skill to aim a laser directly in a pilot's eyes from a long distance. They also pointed out that the idea of using lasers to down aircraft is not a new one -- the Russians tested it during the Cold War.
Hutchinson echoed that comment.
"It's not a new phenomena," he said. "But it has drawn increased attention, so it's drawing increased effort to look at it because of that. But there can be a lot of different dynamics out there in the public that could result in this. We want to look at all of those."
Police agencies warned
Last week, law enforcement officers questioned a Parsippany, New Jersey, man they say may have pointed a laser beam at an airborne police helicopter Friday night and a Cessna aircraft two nights before, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.
The officers spent much of Friday trying to determine the source of the laser beam reported by a Cessna pilot Wednesday night, Steve Coleman told CNN.
The man was questioned at his home by members of the FBI-New York Police Department Joint Terrorism Task Force and FBI agents. Coleman said authorities also were trying to determine whether the man may have been involved in other similar incidents. (Full story)
Last Wednesday, a government official told CNN that incidents involving lasers aimed at commercial aircraft have happened "all over the place" and in "kind of odd places." The official would not provide specifics.
On November 22, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security alerted police agencies that terrorist groups have shown an interest in using laser beams to try to bring down flights.
"In certain circumstances, if laser weapons adversely affect the eyesight of both pilot and co-pilot during a non-instrument approach, there is a risk of airliner crash," the bulletin said.
It is against federal law to intentionally shine a laser beam at a commercial airline flight.
There were incidents last year when laser beams were directed into plane cockpits, including one on September 22 in which a Delta Air Lines pilot reported damage to his retina from a laser beam during a landing in Salt Lake City.
A report for the FAA in June 2004 examined the effect of laser beams on pilots. Of 34 pilots who were exposed to lasers during simulated flights, 67 percent experienced adverse visual effects at even the lowest level of laser exposure. Two high-exposure levels resulted in significantly greater performance difficulties, and nine aborted landings.
CNN's Kelli Arena and Mike Ahlers contributed to this report.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
