NEW YORK — A computer system that checks airline passengers’ names against the federal terror watch list briefly went off-line Wednesday night, federal law enforcement sources told CBS News.
A federal law enforcement source told CBS News correspondent Jeff Pegues officials were trying to determine the extent of the problem.
CBS News transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave reported that a Department of Homeland Security official said a router went offline which required a “manual process of vetting against the (secure flight) watch list.”
Pegues reported it was possible to manually match terror watch list names with passengers, although it is a tedious process. The source told Pegues it was likely the protocol airports were using until the problem was resolved.
The DHS official said John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York was likely the most significantly impacted but that other airports were also experiencing disruptions.
Word of the glitch first began circulating around 8:30 p.m. EST. Just after 9:30 p.m., a law enforcement source told Pegues the issue was expected to be resolved soon with normal operations resuming.
