Americas

US boosts airport security after Britain bomb scares

(AFP)
Updated: 2007-07-01 08:46

KENNEBUNKPORT, United States - The White House announced Saturday that security was being reinforced at US airports in the wake of the discovery of two car bombs in London and the crash of a blazing vehicle into a terminal building at Glasgow's airport.

"There is no indication of any specific or credible threat to the United States, no change in the overall security level," said White House spokesman Tony Snow.

"However at airports there are some alertness-raising measures that the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) has invoked," he said.

"You are likely to see those in the increased presence of some TSA agents outside terminals, there will be some inconvenience to passengers in terms of longer wait times."

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said top US government security officials had met Friday and Saturday to discuss issues arising from the events in Britain.

"At this point, I have seen no specific, credible information suggesting that this latest incident is connected to a threat to the homeland," Chertoff said in a statement.

"We have no plans at this time to change the national threat level, although we remind everyone that the aviation threat level has been raised to orange since last fall," he said, referring to the "high" threat level designated by the color orange.

But he added that Homeland Security would strengthen security measures at airports especially in view of the July 4 US holiday coming up.

The US announcement came after Britain raised its security level to its highest degree of "critical," meaning an attack is expected imminently.

On Saturday British police arrested two people following the crash of a blazing car into a terminal building at Glasgow Airport in Scotland, one day after the discovery and defusing of the two large car bombs in London.

Snow said President George W. Bush, who will meet Sunday with Russian President Vladimir Putin at his family's summer vacation home here on the Maine coast, had been briefed about the ongoing developments in London.

Snow said that elevating airport security was to "create an upfront presence that in and of itself is a deterrent" to attacks.

"It's important not to get people too spun up; it's also important to reassure folks that at a time like this, when you're in a global war on terror, you want to make sure you are not only reassuring the public ... but making sure that everybody is being vigilant about what may be coming up."

"It's important to know that we remain committed to being vigilant throughout the country, including at airports," he added.