Australia ramps up security after plot

Four men held under terror-related powers over alleged plane bomb

SYDNEY - Stricter screening of passengers and luggage at Australian airports will stay in place indefinitely after police foiled an alleged "Islamic-inspired" plot to bring down a plane, which local media said may have involved a bomb or poisonous gas.

The ramped up security procedures were put in place after four men were arrested at the weekend in raids conducted across several Sydney suburbs.