US - airport security

Passengers from selected countries to face tougher checks

Article published on the 2010-01-04 Latest update 2010-01-04 10:03 TU

Staff at the U.S. Transporation Security Administration Systems Integration Facility, one playing the role of a airline passenger, demonstrate the use of Millimeter Wave technology for passenger security screening in Washington
(Photo: Reuters)

The US government has announced tougher security screening for all air passengers who are travelling from, or via, one of fourteen countries. It says the countries identified are "state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest".

They include the four countries that the US State Department considers "state sponsors of terrorism", Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria along with Afghanistan, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen.

The US State Department did not identify the four other countries on its list but US media has reported that these are Algeria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

The heightened security measures came into effect early on Monday morning and mean that anyone flying from or through one of the fourteen countries will be subject to pat-down checks and what is termed "enhanced screening".

After Dutch authorities said they would put full bodyscanners into use within three weeks, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Sunday that British airports would also introduce this equipment.

Later this week the man accused of attempting to destroy a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas Day, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, will be arraigned. His family has said it will fly from northern Nigeria to attend the arraignment on Friday.

Flights out of Newark International Airport in the US were disrupted on Sunday when there were fears of a security breach after a man was seen in an off-limits area.