Canada to hike airport security
Move follows U.S. concern about bombs
Transport Canada confirmed Monday that it will implement “enhanced” security measures at airports in the near future, amid reports that U.S. intelligence officials are becoming concerned about the possible use of hidden explosives.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration said this weekend it has asked certain overseas airports to beef up the screening of passengers on direct flights to the U.S. Changes will include more scrutiny of electronic devices.
“During the security examination, officers may also ask that owners power up some devices, including cellphones,” its statement said. “Powerless devices will not be permitted on board the aircraft. The traveller may also undergo additional screening.”
A Transport Canada spokeswoman declined Monday to say if U.S.-bound travellers at Canadian airports will face similar measures. “Transport Canada has been monitoring the situation closely, and intends to implement enhanced security measures soon. Any additional security measures are expected to have a minimal impact on passengers,” Roxane Marchand said via email.
American intelligence officials have been concerned about new al- Qaida efforts to produce a bomb that could go undetected through airport security, perhaps hidden in shoes, electronics or cosmetics, The Associated Press reported, citing an anonymous counterterrorism official. While the TSA does not conduct screening outside of the U.S., it has the ability to set screening criteria for flights flying to the U.S. from abroad, the news agency reported.
A TSA official said Monday the request for enhanced screening was directed only at certain airports overseas — not Canadian ones.
The training that Canadian airport screeners receive in explosives detection has come under scrutiny in recent months. Last September, a teenager travelling with his family at Edmonton Airport inadvertently brought a pipe bomb in his carry-on bag. While the device never made it on the plane, an internal report by the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority found that “the item was not identified, intercepted, or handled in the manner expected by CATSA.”
Several personnel felt the device — described as a barbell-shaped metallic object with end caps and wrapped in wire — might be a pipe bomb or improvised explosive device. But because the checkpoint manager concluded that the item was drug paraphernalia, “no one acted fully on these suspicions, and the police were not called until several days later.”