Bombs in bodies warning for UK airports

Published on Wednesday 6 July 2011 16:14

TERRORIST groups are looking at placing bombs inside the bodies of airline passengers in an attempt to circumvent enhanced security, the US government has warned.

The UK aviation industry was briefed on the threat of surgically implanted explosives last week following new information received by authorities in America.

A US security official told The Scotsman that there was nothing to indicate an "immediate" attempt using such devices and stressed that the warning did not reflect knowledge of any specific plot. But the official added that any such threat was "likely to come from overseas".

As a result, passengers from the UK may experience additional security measures including random checks and pat-downs when flying to the US.

Past attempts to blow-up America-bound airliners have included the use of improvised bombs in the clothing and shoes of terrorists.

Experts in the US now fear that al-Qaeda and its affiliates are looking at so-called "body bombs" which are surgically implanted to avoid detection.

Devices hidden inside the body have been used before. In 2009 suicide bomber Abdullah Hassan al-Asiri died whilst trying to assassinate a senior Saudi politician using a device he had inserted in his anal cavity.

But terrorists are now expressing a fresh interest in the idea of using surgically implanted bombs, possibly set-off by a further injection of a detonating chemical, it has been suggested.

The US has been on heightened alert regarding a potential retaliatory attack following the death of Osama bin Laden in early May.

The latest warning over body bombs comes on the back of increased terrorist chatter detected by experts in the US.

A security official said: "This is new intelligence about a possible technique that could be used.

"However, there is nothing to indicate an imminent threat. Such a threat is likely to come from overseas rather than domestically, but precautionary steps are being taken internationally and in the United States."

Since the 11 September, 2001, attack on the US, when two planes were flown into the World Trade Centre in New York, there have been at least two serious attempts to blow-up American planes by terrorists who boarded in Europe.

So-called shoe bomber Richard Reid tried to destroy a US-bound jet after getting on a plane in Paris.The British-born terrorist was restrained by passengers after the device, which was hidden in his shoe, failed to go off.

And on Christmas Day 2009, Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to bring down a plane using plastic explosives packed in his underwear.

The would-be mass murderer had initially boarded a flight in Ghana before switching in Amsterdam to a plane heading to Detroit, despite not having a passport.

The failure of both plots - alongside increased security at airports in recent years - could have led to the renewed interest in body bombs.

In a statement, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) confirmed it had briefed air carriers over "recent intelligence".

It added: "Due to the significant advances in security in recent years, terrorist groups have repeatedly and publicly indicated interest in pursuing ways to further conceal explosives."

As a result, additional security checks affecting passengers in the UK flying to US destinations will be put in place.

"Measures may include interaction with passengers, in addition to the use of other screening methods such as pat-downs and the use of enhanced tools and technologies," the TSA said.

The department for transport does not comment on specifics regarding the security regime in the UK.

But a spokeswoman for the department said: "The safety of the travelling public is paramount and we will not allow this to be compromised.

"Our approach to aviation security is kept under constant review to keep ahead of any new or emerging threats."