WASHINGTON - The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wants foreign airports to tighten screening of U.S.-bound passengers' carry-on electronics and adopt U.S. domestic security procedures instituted last year, according to officials and a memo to foreign airports.
Amid growing concerns about the possibility of hidden explosives, TSA began stricter scrutiny of electronic devices by U.S. travelers last summer.
In July 2017, TSA began requiring domestic air travelers to remove all electronics larger than mobile phones including tablets, e-readers and video game consoles from carry-on baggage for screening. The new memo said the agency wants foreign airports now to adopt those procedures.
Foreign airports are also being asked to adopt TSA policy, instituted in mid-2017, that passengers may be required to remove food, powders and other materials "that can clutter bags and obstruct clear images on the X-ray machine," the memo said.
"The United States is seeking to collaborate with foreign governments to declutter carry-on bags and strengthen security effectiveness at your central checkpoints," the TSA said in the memo to foreign airports, government agencies and other entities that was read to Reuters.
U.S. officials said the security enhancements were not the result of new threats.
The memo is aimed at addressing screening of passengers from 280 airports in 105 countries flying to the United States. In total, about 325,000 airline passengers fly to the United States daily on 2,100 flights.
TSA spokesman Matthew Leas said Thursday the agency would not disclose "timelines or methods, but as always, we'll work closely with our international partners on this to ensure last points of departure airports align with our domestic procedures as a part of our efforts to raise the global aviation security baseline."
Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat, praised the changes. "Any flight coming from overseas should go through the same level of security as flights here in the United States. And if some countries are falling behind on that effort, they need to step it up," Nelson said.
In June 2017, the United States announced new requirements on foreign flights to end its restrictions on carry-on electronic devices on planes coming from 10 airports in eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
U.S. authorities in June 2017 also ordered increased security around aircraft, in passenger areas and other places where travelers can be cleared by U.S. officials before they depart as well as additional use of explosive trace detection testing. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
The United States might ban laptops from aircraft cabins of all flights into and out of the country, John Kelly, Secretary of Homeland Security, said on Sunday.
In an interview on Fox News Sunday Kelly said the U.S. plans to "raise the bar" on airline security, including tightening screening of carry-on items.
"That's the thing that they are obsessed with, the terrorists, the idea of knocking down an airplane in flight, particularly if it's a U.S. carrier, particularly if it's full of U.S. people."
In March the government imposed restrictions on large electronic devices in aircraft cabins on flights from 10 airports, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Turkey.
Kelly said the move would be part of a broader effort to tighten airline security to combat what he called "a real sophisticated threat." He said no decision has been made as to the timing of any ban.
"We are still following the intelligence," he said, "and are in the process of defining this, but we're going to raise the bar generally speaking for aviation much higher than it is now."
Among the enhanced measures will likely be tighter screening of carry-on items to allow Transport Security Administration (TSA) agents to discern problematic items in tightly stuffed bags.
The reason, Kelly said, is that in order to avoid paying a fees for checking bags, people are stuffing them to the point where it is difficult to see through the clutter.
"The more stuff is in there, the less the TSA professionals that are looking at what's in those bags through the monitors can tell what's in them."
The TSA has begun testing certain new procedures at a limited number of airports, requiring people to remove additional items from carry-on bags for separate screenings.
Asked whether the government would expand such measures nationwide, Kelly said: "We might, and likely will."
On Friday Kelly told Fox News that if most people knew the extent of the security threat to the United States some people would "never leave the house."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
PARIS - The United States and Britain have banned laptops and tablet computers from passenger cabins on certain airlines' flights from some airports in Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa, citing terror threats.
Why this measure now?
Normally, decisions taken by American authorities and implemented by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are the result of specific threats identified by US intelligence agencies, Jean-Charles Brisard, president of the Center for Analysis of Terrorism told AFP.
"Certain groups like Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have been trying for years to adapt to the progressive security measures put in place by the US and their allies, in particular by miniaturizing explosives."
The new measures "will be based on specific threats, without doubt an initiative by AQAP, one of the most advanced and sophisticated groups -- in particular with regards to miniaturization of explosive devices," he added.
Has this happened before?
After AQAP and rebel groups in Syria drew closer together in 2014, the TSA banned devices with flat batteries, saying that passengers could be required to demonstrate that laptops and phones could be powered up before boarding planes, Brisard said.
"The fear, which was based on precise information, was that the battery's housing could conceal a miniature explosive of just a few hundred grams," he said.
Why Arab countries and Turkey?
"The reality is that the main threat will come from the countries listed by American authorities," said Brisard, adding that TSA regulations were generally followed around the world.
Some countries will not have the same level of security screenings as in the US and other western nations, he added.
Why laptops and tablets?
"These types of electronic devices contain all the component parts of an improvised explosive device (IED) except for the detonator and the actual explosives," said Sebastien Caron, director general of ASCT, a training centre for airport security.
By adding those two missing elements, it could be possible to effectively assemble an IED, making these devices more sensitive than other electronics, he added.
How can explosives be detected at security inspections?
If airport security have any doubt about a passenger and their baggage they can use a trace detector -- a small wipe -- to check for any explosives, Caron said.
If the electronic device has been booby-trapped, there will be traces of explosive of that can be found. The wipe can be analyzed in seven seconds and will warn of any explosives detected, the expert said.
How can they monitor checked baggage?
In France, checked baggage is passed through an Explosive Detection System which can determine whether any explosives are present by analyzing the molecules inside the bags.
If the machine estimates that there may be a threat, it alerts airport security who can take the bag aside for a more comprehensive check.
"Out of 100 bags, only 30 percent pass through a human inspection, who will usually be able to clear 25 out of those 30 of having any threat," Caron said.
"The remaining five percent are sent to an even more sophisticated tomography machine," which is a very expensive X-ray or ultrasound machine, he added.
What consequences for travelers?
Caron worries that the new measures will cause tension with travelers. "Passengers are mainly business people who need to work or tourists who don't want to be deprived of their devices to relax or watch a movie. It's going to be complicated to manage."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
