Export ban for fraud-probe bomb detector

The director of the firm which markets the device, which claims to operate on the same principle as "dousing" for water, has also been arrested on suspicion of fraud.

Critics of the ADE651 detector claimed it failed to prevent hundreds of deaths including suicide bombings in October last year, which killed 155 people and blasts two months later which resulted in 120 more deaths.

Lord Mandelson's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced the ban on the product marketed by the London-based ATSC company, after an investigation for BBC2's Newsnight challenged the scientific basis for the technology it uses.

Britain's embassy in Baghdad has raised concerns over the hand-held device with the government of prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, which is reported to have bought large numbers of ADE651s for use at security checkpoints. The device was also sold to Pakistan, Lebanon and Jordan, countries that have suffered grievously from terrorist attacks. ATSC is said to have made tens of millions of pounds from the sale of the product.

ATSC director Jim McCormick, 53, has been arrested on suspicion of fraud by misrepresentation and bailed pending further investigation, Avon and Somerset Police said.

In a statement, BIS said: "Tests have shown that the technology used in the ADE651 and similar devices is not suitable for bomb detection. As non-military technology it does not need an export licence and we would not normally need to monitor its sale and use abroad. However, it is clearly of concern that it is being used as bomb detection equipment."

The department is to make an order under the Export Control Act 2002, banning the export of devices of this type to Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The reason the ban is limited to these two countries is that our legal power to control these goods is based on the risk that they could cause harm to UK and other friendly forces," said BIS.

There was no response to a call to ATSC's London number last night.