Travellers flying to the United States from Europe and the Middle East face tighter airport security checks from Thursday due to fears extremist Muslim groups are making new explosives able to slip by standard checks.

The measures threaten fresh disruptions for passengers at the start of the summer holiday season and will affect some direct flights to the US.
Officials declined to say if they had uncovered a specific plot.

But the move comes amid increased concern among Western intelligence services that Islamist fighters who go to Syria with European passports could pose a security risk on their return.

The announcement of the extra checks on direct flights from some overseas airports to the US was made by US Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson Wednesday.

“We are sharing recent and relevant information with our foreign allies and are consulting the aviation industry,” Johnson said in a statement.
The airports are located in the Middle East and Europe and were targeted “based on real-time intelligence”, according to an official at the
Department of Homeland Security who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Britain confirmed it is bolstering security at its airports in response.

The move came before the US Independence Day celebrations on Friday.

On Sunday, US President Barack Obama warned that “battle-hardened” Europeans who embrace jihad in Syria and Iraq threaten the United
States because their passports mean they can enter his country without a visa.
- ‘Credible new threats’ -

Despite the increased checks, Britain said the international terror threat level issued by security service MI5 remained unchanged at substantial, the third highest grade out of five, where it has been since July 2011.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said that extra security measures were the right response to “credible new threats”.

“It’s very important that we work — as we do — with our American partners and indeed with other countries around the world so that where credible new threats are identified, a response is then implemented in airports around the world,” Clegg told ITV television.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin insisted to Sky News that passengers should not face “significant delays”.

The Department for Transport did not comment in detail on the nature of the security searches.
London’s Heathrow airport — the world’s busiest international air hub — said that to reveal the details “would be very helpful for the people who want to pass through the system”.

Aviation security expert Philip Baum told Sky the added checks would likely mean an increase in random searches and the number of passengers being asked to remove their shoes at security.

Passengers in Britain have long faced tight security measures at airports following high-profile threats including a failed attempt by British “shoe bomber” Richard Reid to blow up a US-bound flight in 2001.

Security was further tightened after a plot to blow up “liquid bombs” on transatlantic flights was uncovered in 2006.

Ben Friedman, a defence and homeland security expert at the Cato Institute think-tank in the US, told the BBC that fears had been raised over people with European passports who were fighting in Syria.

But he noted that previous attempts by Yemeni bomb makers to blow up planes had been unsuccessful.

“While we want to be prudent and cautious… these guys are serial failures,” he added.

A Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, is serving a life sentence for trying to blow up a US-bound airliner on December 25, 2009 with explosives hidden in his underwear.

US officials said the botched plot was the work of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, based in Yemen.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/07/travellers-us-face-tighter-airport-security/#sthash.6ofCn10X.dpuf

coded01: A Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, is serving a life sentence for trying to blow up a US-bound airliner on December 25, 2009 with explosives hidden in his underwear.

When i remember this! I smh...


Why can't Nigerians be recognized for fighting against terrorism not supporting it...

Front page in just two comments nairaland is dead

the fear of terrorists is the beginning of wisdom

THE FIVE LEVELS OF THREAT
- Low, meaning an attack is unlikely.
- Moderate, meaning an attack is possible but not likely.
- Substantial, meaning an attack is a strong possibility.
- Severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.
- Critical, meaning an attack is expected imminently.
'the threat level is currently substantial from international terrorism '.

coded01:

When i remember this! I smh...


Why can't Nigerians be recognized for fighting terrorism not supporting it...

Abeg Babe....Dont kill yourself...You have your own life to live.

The plague called Terrorism is not prone to U.S. alone, it's widespread to all regions of the world. I don't blame the U.S. for countermeasures, GOD forbid another 9/11 happening again.

slimthugchimee: Front page in just two comments nairaland is dead

And what are you afraid of? that they are exposing your people right?

Good of em

Cool

what can we say

hmmm

brownlord:

And what are you afraid of? that they are exposing your people right?

oga please am not muslem and hell no am i going to be one

Prevention is better than cure

I wonder what these people will preach to me to make me join their religion. I'm seriously wondering....

#clear throat
#any APC here
#dodges bomb
#running
#seun pls backup my post

But BH don't travel abroad bcs they hate western education

It's better to take precautionary measures....

ksusi: But BH don't travel abroad bcs they hate western education

They aren't talking about BH here..

Hmmmmmmmmm... Nigerians would face tightest security check... I am sure!

slimthugchimee: oga please am not muslem and hell no am i going to be one

Okay, we are just trying to know the people Jonathan was referring to, i mean the e-boko haram

The issue of Nigerians been maltreated abroad is one which should mark a quick change in Nigerian foreign policy.I think its high time the ministry of foreign affairs begin to do more than talk,they need to relate with the Nigerian association in countries round the world,the Nigerian missions are doing little or nothing to help Nigeria as a country and Nigerian leaving abroad.more embassies cant even issue the Nigerian passport talk more of assisting Nigerians.
I dare to say that of the over 15,000 Nigerian in jail abroad more than 2/3 of that figure are issues of victimization.
most of this countries have it at the back of there minds that the Nigerian state would do nothing,so they treat the Nigerian citizen as they like,i want to quickly point out that this policy of silence from the Nigerian mission abroad is the main reason why Nigeria is no longer respected on the international seen.
A point of reference is a country in the Caribbean called Guyana,i was arrested for simply applying for a drivers licence.imagine how silly that sounds and then handed to the anti narcotics department,they could not find what to pin on me,so they in turn handed me over to the anti fraud unit,while under interrogation for no crime committed the officer in charge of the fraud unit told me that 99% of Nigerians are drug dealers to which i responded,he has no right to assume that over 167million people as drug dealer when he has never been to Nigeria. angered by my statement he quickly called the immigration department where my application has been pending for 6months,this by the way is a process that is suppose to take 3weeks but for Nigerians it takes as much as 7years,this treatment is only for Nigerians. and after speaking to a Miss Mohammed he then told me that i have over stayed on my visa and my application has been denied.i equally told him in response that i am more than willing to return to my country even though i have been married to a citizen of there country for over 4years but i would not return with any false hood on my passport.
My wife inform the crime chief who i must confess was a perfect gentle man,who immediately ordered my release but stated that the problem the O/C fraud has created from immigration cant be undone by him so the matter must be taken up with there ministry of home affairs.i have thus written letters of protest which of course has not been responded to.

The lessons which can be learnt from this are as followed
1) The laws of this country clearly states that if you don't have the appropriate visa you cant work,with the deliberate policy of making sure Nigerians don't get the visa,this in turn would make sure that the Nigerian population here can not get legitimate work and thus forcing them into a life of crime.
2) countries that produce drugs in this region do not have there citizens tagged as drug dealer but a country that doesn't produce drugs are tagged drug dealers
3)even Nigerian investors are not spared,they are frustrated out
4)Nigerian student take 4-6months to get a student visa while others take 3weeks,its is equally surprising that Nigerian student contribute over 500million Guyana dollar directly and indirectly and account for 60% of the foreign students
5)I have demanded for statistics and it clearly shows that Nigeria is not among the top ten countries with conviction rate in this country,so how come of the hash tag
6)Guyanese citizen in Nigeria are enjoying expertrate quoter and working as guest of the country while to the contrary Nigerians here are treated with such disgust.
To this end i have taken it upon myself to defend the integrity of my country,i shall be meeting with the president of the Nigerian association in Guyana to fashion out a away on getting the government to drop this hash tag on Nigeria and Nigerians,and i shall be writing a letter to the honourable president of Guyana to notify him of this and equally write the Nigerian senate and house of representative as well as the Nigerian ambassador to the Caribbean and the ministry of foreign affairs in Nigeria.
its time we begin to say no to this victimization of our great country and its citizens.

Thanks