List Now Numbers Near 6,000 People

The No-Fly list ... one of the federal government's best-known counterterrorism tools, has nearly doubled in size since Farouk Abdulmuttalab allegedly attempted to bring down a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas day last year. According to a senior intelligence official, the list currently stand at about 6,000 names up from about 3,400 before the bombing attempt.

The Associated Press reports that the list is in inexact tool, and one which has resulted in more than one case of mistaken identity. In 2004, the list stood at about 20,000 names, but improvements in technology have made the vetting process more reliable, and it has been winnowed down considerably.

The terrorist watch list currently has about 418,000 names, but just being on the list is not enough to keep a person off airplanes. There must also be adequate information to show that the person is a potential threat to aviation or national security. The suspects full name and date of birth is also required. From these there is a "selectee list" of about 18,000 people who are still allowed to fly, but are subjected to additional screening. The "no-fly" list is reserved for those persons determined to be to dangerous to be allowed to board a plane.

The list was scrubbed in 2007 of people who officials no longer considered to be active threats. Under certain circumstances, some persons on the "no fly" list are allowed to board airplanes, but there must be agreement between TSA and the FBI, they are very carefully screened, and may be monitored by federal air marshals during the flight.

FMI: www.tsa.gov,www.fbi.gov