Packages at Philadelphia airport under scrutiny

    No explosives have been found. Homeland Security and the FBI are investigating in Newark, NJ, New York, Chicago in addition to Philadelphia.

    A number of suspicious packages on cargo airlines and trucks has Homeland Security officials investigating–including here in Philadelphia. The airport, however has remained open and officials say they are acting out of an abundance of caution. So far, no explosives or other actual threatening devices have been found.

    Congressman Rob Andrews, a South Jersey Democrat who is on a terrorism subcommittee, says the discovery of the suspicious packages shows the homeland security system is working and that government agencies are cooperating when it comes to intelligence gathering.

    “That’s a good thing. Part of the tragic aftermath of 9-11 was the evidence that if some of the agencies had shared information with each other it is possible that those murders could have been avoided, that attack could have been avoided. The fact that this is today shows to me the various intelligence agencies are communicating with each other.”

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    Congressman Andrews says there needs to be more real-time sharing of information between intelligence agencies. He says more collaboration, the better off the country will be.

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