The guy sitting next to you on the plane might be packing a gun - LEGALLY!

Air Marshals are nothing new. But, after 9/11, the program expanded greatly, though not without controversy.

Like it or not, now there are thousands of US air marshals, flying every day, on hundreds of flights around the world. Completely anonymously.

For "Abenteuer Leben", we gained exclusive access to an air marshals training facility. To prepare for a mission, these elite cops have to be skilled in shooting at close range and in martial arts. Their goal: To act normal, blending in with the other passengers, while operating on high alert.

Take an exclusive look deep inside the belly of Chicago O'Hare, at a few new security measures, put in place to prevent anything from happening before passengers even board the plane. Watch TSA perform behaviour detection tasks and baggage handlers secure all luggage prior to loading any aircraft.

Client: Kabel 1 /Abenteuer Leben     Airdate: 09/08/07    TRT: 9:31 min
Producer: Johannes Wiebus
Camera: Peter Krajewski
Editor: Kathleen O'Heron