U.S. to Increase Security at Overseas Airports

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Wayne reported in his thread that there was increased security today when they were preparing to board their flight to the US.

a few minutes later, i noticed this item in the news:
(i highlighted the sentence about overseas airports with direct flights to the US)

Reuters:
U.S. to Increase Security at Overseas Airports

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is increasing security measures at airports overseas amid deepening concerns that terrorists in war-ravaged Syria are trying to develop a new generation of bombs that could be smuggled onto commercial planes, ABC News reported.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said his department has been assessing “the global threat environment,” and he has directed the Transportation Security Administration “to implement enhanced security measures in the coming days at certain overseas airports with direct flights to the United States

Sources told ABC News that DHS was planning to issue a series of urgent directives to airport authorities and airlines operating in Europe and elsewhere, requiring them to further scrutinize U.S.-bound passengers’ electronics and shoes, set up more explosives detection machines, increase random screenings of travelers, and take a series of secret actions the public would never see.

“We will work to ensure these necessary steps pose as few disruptions to travelers as possible,” Johnson said in his statement. “We are sharing recent and relevant information with our foreign allies and are consulting the aviation industry.”

One source said such a decision to enhance security measures overseas “is never a decision that [DHS] makes lightly.”

“It’s something that has to be warranted,” the source said. “It has to be something particularly serious for [DHS] to even consider increasing security.”

Announcement of the new measures comes several days after it was reported that U.S. officials had learned that associates of the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria - the Al-Nusra Front - and radicals from other groups were teaming up with elements of the Yemen-based group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which built such innovative devices as the "underwear bomb" that ultimately failed to detonate in a plane over Detroit in 2009.

While intelligence obtained by the U.S. government has not indicated a specific target or a specific timeline, one source called the threat “different and more disturbing than past aviation plots.”

Asked Monday by ABC News whether his European counterparts were doing enough to address the threat emanating from Syria, FBI Director James Comey said European authorities are “doing a tremendous amount of work” but that it was “hard for [him] to say” if it’s enough.

U.S. officials have been outspoken about the dangers posed by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and – separately – the threat of foreign fighters in Syria, the latest intelligence shows that the two threats have bonded in an unusually powerful way, essentially creating a sum more worrisome than its parts, according to ABC News.

Western powers have already expressed concern that some of their citizens have traveled to fight in the civil war in Syria, some of them joining extremist groups that might one day seek to strike their home countries.

It has already been confirmed that one American citizen carried out a suicide bombing within Syria; in February it was estimated that at least 50 U.S. citizens are fighting in Syria against Assad, and are liable to bring terrorism back to their home country once the war is over.

 
now saying no electronics in hand luggage.
I understand why but that gives us a problem to work round if still in place in a few weeks.

We need our phones with us as our children (well not really kids -21,21, 18 &17 I cant think what else to call them lol) are doing universal on their own - One of the 21yr olds has health issues which means her sister the 17 yr old may need to contact us for help/advice (the other 2 are cousins and have no experience helping her as they live abroad).

I am sure that they wont want to put their phones in the hold (21yr old just got a new iphone and sis a new galaxy for working hard for exams)

Are pay as u go phones cheep to buy over there. Any other suggestions
 
I may be in the minority here but if I have to queue longer and have no electronics on me, take my shoes and belt off, get a body scan etc then so be it. If thats what it takes to avert another 9/11 or Lockerbie disaster then so be it.
 
I may be in the minority here but if I have to queue longer and have no electronics on me, take my shoes and belt off, get a body scan etc then so be it. If thats what it takes to avert another 9/11 or Lockerbie disaster then so be it.

I'm totally with you on this one, security measures are in place for a reason and anything that makes flights safer is fine by me :)
 

I may be in the minority here but if I have to queue longer and have no electronics on me, take my shoes and belt off, get a body scan etc then so be it. If thats what it takes to avert another 9/11 or Lockerbie disaster then so be it.

I agree- I didn't mean I have a problem with what they are doing - I meant I now have a family problem to work out
 
I may be in the minority here but if I have to queue longer and have no electronics on me, take my shoes and belt off, get a body scan etc then so be it. If thats what it takes to avert another 9/11 or Lockerbie disaster then so be it.

Totally agree. Whatever it takes to fly safely is ok by me :)
 
Always good to see them taking action, however long it takes for them to ensure the safety for all flying is fine. Not sure if I missed something but where did it say no electronics?
 
Always good to see them taking action, however long it takes for them to ensure the safety for all flying is fine. Not sure if I missed something but where did it say no electronics?

Sky news
 
well ... I agree that actions need to be taken to prevent any kind of terrorist threat (or any threat at all)

but those measures are just for show. Just like TSA is in the US. Many TSA wouldn't even spot a full grown elephant in a carry-on even if it had a post-it note saying in bold : "I'm an elephant" with a big red arrow on it.

Now we all relinquish part of our freedom because we're told that it's for our own good.
Well it's for our own good, but the fight is not on that front.

An airport is like a house with a front door, and a dozen window.
They put a security officer at the door, and even if guests accept to be strip searched at the door, let's not forget the dozen of open windows and the fact that a burglar will go through the path of least resistance to enter the house

accepting more thourough checks will not make the flights any safer than they already are. They make passengers feel safer. And that's a lot of difference.

I relate that to the times when I used to cross the iron curtain (I was a choir boy and we did tours in the eastern block where we were more popular than in europe, go figure ..)
Crossing the border was not a matter of thourough check, but a matter of how long you waited. More time at the border did not mean more checks, more security, they only represented "power and control".

I do appreciate when they say they want more security. But when DHS says that they can't detect some devices in the US, does anyone really think that asking European security to raise the security level will achieve anything ?

Basically, they're saying "we can't detect their bombs, so please raise your security level to our standards ... which can't detect anyway ...." ... okay ... Am I the only one who find this ironical ?
 
well ... I agree that actions need to be taken to prevent any kind of terrorist threat (or any threat at all)

but those measures are just for show. Just like TSA is in the US. Many TSA wouldn't even spot a full grown elephant in a carry-on even if it had a post-it note saying in bold : "I'm an elephant" with a big red arrow on it.

Now we all relinquish part of our freedom because we're told that it's for our own good.
Well it's for our own good, but the fight is not on that front.

An airport is like a house with a front door, and a dozen window.
They put a security officer at the door, and even if guests accept to be strip searched at the door, let's not forget the dozen of open windows and the fact that a burglar will go through the path of least resistance to enter the house

accepting more thourough checks will not make the flights any safer than they already are. They make passengers feel safer. And that's a lot of difference.

I relate that to the times when I used to cross the iron curtain (I was a choir boy and we did tours in the eastern block where we were more popular than in europe, go figure ..)
Crossing the border was not a matter of thourough check, but a matter of how long you waited. More time at the border did not mean more checks, more security, they only represented "power and control".

I do appreciate when they say they want more security. But when DHS says that they can't detect some devices in the US, does anyone really think that asking European security to raise the security level will achieve anything ?

Basically, they're saying "we can't detect their bombs, so please raise your security level to our standards ... which can't detect anyway ...." ... okay ... Am I the only one who find this ironical ?

That is the point - as these devices can go under the radar -so to speak- the powers that be want rid of the electronics as they can be used as a trigger to set off the undetectable explosives - I am a scientist and that step up in security to me is the most logical 1st step- however, we are all aware that nothing can be 100% safe.
 
Haven't seen Sky News but the very fact that Wayne was able to post after security means he took his mobile through just that security had been stepped up and it took longer.
 
Haven't seen Sky News but the very fact that Wayne was able to post after security means he took his mobile through just that security had been stepped up and it took longer.

they just added that part this afternoon about 3pm ish
 
he powers that be want rid of the electronics as they can be used as a trigger to set off the undetectable explosives

there are power outlets on many planes. AC, USB, emPower, etc.
there are power outlets in the lavatories

and even if they get rid of these, there will still be lights in the lavatories, that can be jerry rigged to produce the heat or spark/short required to set off a device.

The next logical step would be to require passengers to pee in the dark ?

(just consider this as humor only, I'm not snapping at you ;) )

I understand the "let's make it as difficult for them as possible, but it's like the ban on electronics below 10.000ft.

In the end I don't buy it.

Let's not forget that the explosive underpants were never detected by security, but by passengers and crew onboard a flight and only because the device failed.
 
Hmm I've heard of extra checks on electronics including asking to turn them on swabbing and checking again at the gate, but no reports of actually being banned in hand luggage that I have seen :confused3
 
Oh dear! Does anyone know where I can get a definitive answer about what is/isnt allowed in hand luggage, we are flying in two weeks. Usually carry digital camera, laptop, i-pod and i-phone in carry on...can't imagine they would ban all?! So many business travellers to US
Debsx:confused3
 
Hmm I've heard of extra checks on electronics including asking to turn them on swabbing and checking again at the gate, but no reports of actually being banned in hand luggage that I have seen :confused3

I haven't found anything either as I have a niece flying to Vegas on Sunday and have checked the airport website and their twitter feed but nothing about a ban. She would be distraught without her phone :)
 
sky changed this back to extra checks so I think they may be got the wrong info when they posted up about the ban.
 
but those measures are just for show. Just like TSA is in the US. Many TSA wouldn't even spot a full grown elephant in a carry-on even if it had a post-it note saying in bold : "I'm an elephant" with a big red arrow on it.

:rotfl2:

you have a wonderful way with words!!

by the way, the only reason i posted this news item was to give people a heads up that they might need more time at the airport to get through security!!

i didn't mean to start off an argument about whether it's needed or not...

(though i do agree, many of the TSA people are worse than blithering idiots - really it's an insult to idiots to make the comparison :) )
 
I noticed the Virgin flight from manchester departed on time this morning, so hopefully this is happening elsewhere too!
 












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