WASHINGTON (voa) – U.S. authorities have arrested more than 100 workers at the Washington-area’s major airports in a crackdown on security lapses.
Those detained Tuesday face charges of falsifying information to obtain airport jobs or security badges. Most worked at Dulles International Airport — the origin of the hijacked plane that plowed into the Pentagon seven months ago. The others worked for contractors serving Reagan National and Baltimore-Washington International Airports.
U.S. officials say there was no evidence that any of the detainees were connected to the September 11th attacks or any terrorist activities. Justice Department officials report some of them were working in the U.S. illegally, while others had criminal backgrounds that disqualified them from airport employment.
As of last week, more than 250 people had been taken into custody for lying in order to gain access to high-security areas at U.S. airports. Officials say they had lied about past arrests, falsely claimed U.S. citizenship, or supplied fake Social Security numbers.
In announcing the arrests, Attorney General John Ashcroft again stressed the Bush administration’s zero tolerance policy for security violations.
