Asia-Pacific

Passengers on US-bound flights face more screening

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-01-04 10:25

WASHINGTON: Passengers flying into the United States from Nigeria, Yemen and other "countries of interest" will be subject to enhanced screening techniques, such as body scans and pat-downs, the Transportation Security Administration said Sunday.

Passengers on US-bound flights face more screening

Passengers wait to check in at Baltimore Washington International Airport on December 29, 2009 in Baltimore, Maryland. [Agencies]

Starting Monday, all passengers on US-bound international flights will be subject to random screening.

In addition, anyone traveling from or through nations regarded as state sponsors of terrorism - as well as "other countries of interest" - will be required to go through enhanced screening. The TSA said those techniques include full-body pat-downs, carry-on bag searches, full-body scanning and explosive detection technology.

The State Department lists Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria as state sponsors of terrorism. The "other countries" whose passengers will face enhanced screening include Nigeria, Yemen and Pakistan.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man who allegedly tried to set off an explosive device aboard a Northwest airliner on Christmas Day, has told US investigators he received training and instructions from al-Qaida operatives in Yemen. Pakistan's border with Afghanistan is a key battleground in the US-led battle against al-Qaida and the Taliban.

The TSA said the ability to enforce the new security measures is the "result of extraordinary cooperation from our global aviation partners."