The anonymous airline pilot who was punished by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for posting videos on YouTube pointing out what he believes are serious flaws in airport security is back in the news.
He has revealed his identity today to a Sacramento CA news station.
The 50-year-old pilot, who had originally asked News10 not to identify him or his airline, told News10 he hoped to be in a position where he “could safely come out of the shadows.”
It appears Chris Liu feels the time is now right to publicly join the debate over airport security.
“My name is Chris Liu and I’m an airline pilot,” Liu said during an exclusive interview Monday with News10 at his home in Colfax. Liu announced on his website that he created with the help of his lawyer during Christmas that he would be going public with his identity.
Liu posted the videos to show people the glaring security gaps he believes exist at major U.S. airports. Liu’s cell phone videos of security at San Francisco International Airport led to a team of six federal agents and sheriff’s deputies coming to his home on Dec. 2 to take his federally issued handgun and Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) credentials.
A sheriff’s deputy also took his state-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon (CCW).
Placer County sheriff’s spokeswoman Dena Erwin told News10 that two deputies accompanied four federal agents in a marked sheriff’s car after a formal request from the federal government. She said the feds included members of an anti-terrorism task force.
That is correct; they sent members of an anti-terrorist task force to deal with him at his home for dangerous crime of telling the truth. This is something that has become all too common this year. Speaking the truth, which the government doesn’t like, makes you a potential terrorist threat.
The YouTube videos which have been taken down by Liu, posted Nov. 28, show what the pilot calls the irony of flight crews being forced to go through TSA screening while the ground crew who service the aircraft (and who could you know, hide a bomb in the cargo bay) are able to get into secure areas easily by swiping a card.
“As you can see, airport security is kind of a farce. It’s only smoke and mirrors so you people believe there is actually something going on here,” Liu narrates.
Video shot in the cockpit by Liu also shows a deadly-looking rescue ax available on the flight deck after the pilots have gone through the metal detectors. “I would say a two-foot crash ax looks a lot more formidable than a box cutter,” Liu said.
According to the letter Liu received, the review and removal of his FFDO status was directly related to the discovery by TSA staff of his YouTube videos. “The content and subject of these videos may have violated regulations concerning disclosure of sensitive security information,” the letter said.
Sensitive information, do they mean the truth perhaps?
The interview with Liu and his wife where he reveals his identity will be featured Monday on News10 at 6 pm on the west coast.
