ICTS International
Encyclopedia
ICTS International is an Israel
i firm based in the Netherlands
that develops products and provides consulting and personnel services in the field of aviation and general security. It was established in 1982, by former members of the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security agency, and El Al
airline security agents. The company's shares are traded on NASDAQ
under the symbol ICTS.
The firm and its subsidiaries specialize in aviation security services, operating airport checkpoints and electronic equipment, such as x-ray screening devices and manual devices, and verifying travel documents. Security services and consulting are also provided to other public and private transportation sectors. In 2008, the company employed 3,350 people with an annual sales revenue of 98.8 million USD.
and the Far East
. I-SEC was established in 2005 as the aviation security arm of the ICTS International. PI is a subsidiary of I-SEC, and is the preferred security service provider of Air Canada
, Delta / Northwest Airlines
, KLM, United airlines
, and U.S. Airways.
Another subsidiary of ICTS International is Huntleigh USA Corporation (Huntleigh), which engages primarily in non-security related activities in the United States
. Providing limited aviation security services, its main aviation services include cleaning aircraft cabins, skycap services, and wheelchair attendants.
ICTS Homeland Security (ICTS HLS), a member of the ICTS International Group, develops security concepts for other transport sectors as well, such as railroad and maritime industries. The Transportation Security Department specializes in providing such services to the public transportation sector and is headed by the former chief security officer of Israel Railways
. Customers include Israel Railways and Lyon Turin Ferroviaire
(Tunnel).
and the Shin Bet, it is used by most of the large airlines in the United States.
Another ICTS International product is Integrated Passenger Processing Solutions or IP@SS, a system that accelerates passenger flow while enhancing security. Automated TravelDoc is a system which performs automatic scans of travel documents to verify their authenticity and ensure they meet the requirements of the destination country. Another product is APIS Solution, a scanner that extracts data required by U.S. Customs automatically. ICTS International also produces a computer-based training system for X-ray operators that simulates potential workday situations.
was able to board Northwest Airlines Flight 253
with explosive materials, garnering criticism for "its possible responsibility for the security failure at Schiphol." While this story was widely reported in the Israeli and European press, mainstream media outlets in the United States gave it no coverage.
ICTS was also responsible for security at the Charles de Gaulle Airport where Richard Reid
, the "shoe bomber", boarded American Airlines
Flight 63 in December 2001.
ICTS' subsidiary, Huntleigh, shared security duties at Boston
's Logan Airport on September 11, 2001, where two of the four planes hijacked for use in the attacks originated. According to Logan Airport officials, the company provided provided gate and baggage security services for United Airlines
. Huntleigh faced multiple lawsuits for alleged screening failures by its workers at Logan Airport, but denied any liability for those cases. After reforms to the security system in the US following the 9/11 attacks which resulted in the Transportation Security Administration
(TSA) taking over the task of screening passengers and baggage, Huntleigh ceased providing security to US airports. The company petitioned a federal court to order the government to compensate it for the lost business in 2003, but the request was denied. A request made by ICTS International for certiorari
was denied by the Supreme Court
in 2008.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i firm based in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
that develops products and provides consulting and personnel services in the field of aviation and general security. It was established in 1982, by former members of the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security agency, and El Al
El Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
airline security agents. The company's shares are traded on NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
under the symbol ICTS.
The firm and its subsidiaries specialize in aviation security services, operating airport checkpoints and electronic equipment, such as x-ray screening devices and manual devices, and verifying travel documents. Security services and consulting are also provided to other public and private transportation sectors. In 2008, the company employed 3,350 people with an annual sales revenue of 98.8 million USD.
Subsidiaries
Consolidated subsidiaries of ICTS International include Demco Consultants, Ltd. and International Tourist Attractions, Ltd. in Israel, as well as Procheck International B.V. and Ramasso Holdings B.V. in the Netherlands. ICTS International and its subsidiaries I-SEC International Security B.V. (I-SEC) and Pro-Check International (PI) supply aviation security services in 11 countries, including airports in the United States, EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. I-SEC was established in 2005 as the aviation security arm of the ICTS International. PI is a subsidiary of I-SEC, and is the preferred security service provider of Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
, Delta / Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
, KLM, United airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
, and U.S. Airways.
Another subsidiary of ICTS International is Huntleigh USA Corporation (Huntleigh), which engages primarily in non-security related activities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Providing limited aviation security services, its main aviation services include cleaning aircraft cabins, skycap services, and wheelchair attendants.
ICTS Homeland Security (ICTS HLS), a member of the ICTS International Group, develops security concepts for other transport sectors as well, such as railroad and maritime industries. The Transportation Security Department specializes in providing such services to the public transportation sector and is headed by the former chief security officer of Israel Railways
Israel Railways
Israel Railways is the principal passenger railway operating company in Israel, and is responsible for all inter-city and suburban rail way passenger and freight traffic in the country. All its lines are standard gauge. The network is centered in Israel's densely populated coastal plain, from...
. Customers include Israel Railways and Lyon Turin Ferroviaire
Lyon Turin Ferroviaire
Lyon Turin Ferroviaire , subsidiary of Réseau Ferré de France and Rete Ferroviaria Italiana , is the promoter of the joint French-Italian part of the future rail link between Lyon and Turin....
(Tunnel).
Products and services
ICTS has used the security system employed in Israel, whereby passengers are profiled to assess the degree to which they pose a potential threat on the basis of a number of indicators, including age, name, origin and behavior during questioning. In the late 1990s, the firm also developed a product system based on a computerized algorithm called APS (Advanced Passenger Screening) which analyzes passenger information procured by airline companies and determines the potential risks posed by a given passenger. Though APS is not used by the Israel Airports AuthorityIsrael Airports Authority
The Israel Airports Authority was founded in 1977 as a public corporation mandated by the Israel Airports Authority Law. The authority is responsible for the management of Israel's major civil airports and land-to-land border terminals between Israel and its neighbours...
and the Shin Bet, it is used by most of the large airlines in the United States.
Another ICTS International product is Integrated Passenger Processing Solutions or IP@SS, a system that accelerates passenger flow while enhancing security. Automated TravelDoc is a system which performs automatic scans of travel documents to verify their authenticity and ensure they meet the requirements of the destination country. Another product is APIS Solution, a scanner that extracts data required by U.S. Customs automatically. ICTS International also produces a computer-based training system for X-ray operators that simulates potential workday situations.
Executive Officers
Executive Officers of ICTS International include Menachem J. Atzmon (CSU since 2004), Alon Raich (CFO since 2008), and Managing Directors Avraham Dan (since 2008), Ran Langer (since 2004), and Ranaan Nir (since 2002). Atzmon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2004, holds controlling shares, owning more than 55% of ICTS International through a family trust.Media coverage
ICTS International and its two subsidiaries, ISEC and PI, provide security services to the Schipol airport and Delta Airlines. The firm's security system came under scrutiny and as part of the international investigation into how Umar Farouk AbdulmutallabUmar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab , popularly referred to as the "Underwear Bomber", is a suspected terrorist who attempted to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on December 25,...
was able to board Northwest Airlines Flight 253
Northwest Airlines Flight 253
Northwest Airlines Flight 253 was an international passenger flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands, to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan, United States...
with explosive materials, garnering criticism for "its possible responsibility for the security failure at Schiphol." While this story was widely reported in the Israeli and European press, mainstream media outlets in the United States gave it no coverage.
ICTS was also responsible for security at the Charles de Gaulle Airport where Richard Reid
Richard Reid (shoe bomber)
Richard Colvin Reid , also known as the Shoe Bomber, is a self-admitted member of al-Qaeda who pled guilty in 2002 in U.S. federal court to eight criminal counts of terrorism stemming from his attempt to destroy a commercial aircraft in-flight by detonating explosives hidden in his shoes...
, the "shoe bomber", boarded American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
Flight 63 in December 2001.
ICTS' subsidiary, Huntleigh, shared security duties at Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
's Logan Airport on September 11, 2001, where two of the four planes hijacked for use in the attacks originated. According to Logan Airport officials, the company provided provided gate and baggage security services for United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
. Huntleigh faced multiple lawsuits for alleged screening failures by its workers at Logan Airport, but denied any liability for those cases. After reforms to the security system in the US following the 9/11 attacks which resulted in the Transportation Security Administration
Transportation Security Administration
The Transportation Security Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that exercises authority over the safety and security of the traveling public in the United States....
(TSA) taking over the task of screening passengers and baggage, Huntleigh ceased providing security to US airports. The company petitioned a federal court to order the government to compensate it for the lost business in 2003, but the request was denied. A request made by ICTS International for certiorari
Certiorari
Certiorari is a type of writ seeking judicial review, recognized in U.S., Roman, English, Philippine, and other law. Certiorari is the present passive infinitive of the Latin certiorare...
was denied by the Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
in 2008.