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Extra checks in US for Pak, Saudi fliers
Focus On Travellers From 14 State Sponsors Of Terror
Chidanand Rajghatta | TNN
Washington: Flying to America may have just gotten more tedious. Maintaining that effective aviation security must begin beyond our borders, US authorities on Monday began enhanced screening procedures on any US-bound air passenger travelling through 14 notified countries regarded as state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest. They include Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Nigeria, among other countries.
India is not in the list of designated countries, but Indians and Americans, or any other nationals for that matter, who travel through these 14 notified countries will be required to go through enhanced screening,including full-body pat-downs and extra hand luggage searches.
The security measures were primarily triggered by the Christmas Day attempt by the Al Qaida to blow up a trans-Atlantic commercial jet in Detroit.
The TSA (Transportation Security Authority) is mandating that every individual flying into the US from anywhere in the world travelling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening.
While some countries such as Libya, Algeria, Iraq have long been on the list of suspect countries, the formal addition of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Nigeriaall US alliesto the countries of interest list marks the first time that citizens of those countries will be subject to automatic additional screening for flights to the US. Ground Handling
Countries Under Scanner
Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen (Fliers who hail from any of these countries, hold a passport or take a flight originating here or have passed through in transit)
What This Means
Where advanced technology is available, fliers will go through
full-body scanners
On Cue Scanners In Action | US
(40 full-body scanners in use at 19 airports, 450 more in offing); UK (scanners at Heathrow, other BAA airports); Netherlands (scanners at Amsterdam Schiphol airport, which Nigerian Christmas bomber Abdulmutallab passed through, in three weeks on America-bound fliers);
Nigeria, Ghana, Germany, Italy and Jordan
Pat-Downers | Australia, Pakistan, Baghdad
Lone Dissenter | European Union has objected to invasion of privacy since scanners will pick up intimate body features KEEPING GUARD
New security steps worry rights groups
Washington: The latest airport security directive in the US also increases the use of enhanced screening technologies and mandates threat-based and random screening for passengers on US-bound international flights. Even citizens of countries such as Britain whose origin is among the designated countries will be subject to extra security checks.
Civil liberties groups in the US are expressing misgivings about the new rules, concerned that they wrongly imply that nationals of certain
countries are suspect. Pakistanis in particular have been incensed that they are already, informally, subjected to extra scrutiny although the country is considered an ally in the war on terror. But most major terrorist incidents across the world in the past two decades also have their footprints going back to Pakistan.
However, the Obama administration is unapologetic about the latest measures and denies there is any racial, ethnic, or religious profiling involved. Officials say the additional scrutiny is the result of new threat assessment intelligence. Even Americans travelling from the notified countries will be subject to extra screening.
Focus On Travellers From 14 State Sponsors Of Terror
Chidanand Rajghatta | TNN
Washington: Flying to America may have just gotten more tedious. Maintaining that effective aviation security must begin beyond our borders, US authorities on Monday began enhanced screening procedures on any US-bound air passenger travelling through 14 notified countries regarded as state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest. They include Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Nigeria, among other countries.
India is not in the list of designated countries, but Indians and Americans, or any other nationals for that matter, who travel through these 14 notified countries will be required to go through enhanced screening,including full-body pat-downs and extra hand luggage searches.
The security measures were primarily triggered by the Christmas Day attempt by the Al Qaida to blow up a trans-Atlantic commercial jet in Detroit.
The TSA (Transportation Security Authority) is mandating that every individual flying into the US from anywhere in the world travelling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening.
While some countries such as Libya, Algeria, Iraq have long been on the list of suspect countries, the formal addition of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Nigeriaall US alliesto the countries of interest list marks the first time that citizens of those countries will be subject to automatic additional screening for flights to the US. Ground Handling
Countries Under Scanner
Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen (Fliers who hail from any of these countries, hold a passport or take a flight originating here or have passed through in transit)
What This Means
Where advanced technology is available, fliers will go through
full-body scanners
On Cue Scanners In Action | US
(40 full-body scanners in use at 19 airports, 450 more in offing); UK (scanners at Heathrow, other BAA airports); Netherlands (scanners at Amsterdam Schiphol airport, which Nigerian Christmas bomber Abdulmutallab passed through, in three weeks on America-bound fliers);
Nigeria, Ghana, Germany, Italy and Jordan
Pat-Downers | Australia, Pakistan, Baghdad
Lone Dissenter | European Union has objected to invasion of privacy since scanners will pick up intimate body features KEEPING GUARD
New security steps worry rights groups
Washington: The latest airport security directive in the US also increases the use of enhanced screening technologies and mandates threat-based and random screening for passengers on US-bound international flights. Even citizens of countries such as Britain whose origin is among the designated countries will be subject to extra security checks.
Civil liberties groups in the US are expressing misgivings about the new rules, concerned that they wrongly imply that nationals of certain
countries are suspect. Pakistanis in particular have been incensed that they are already, informally, subjected to extra scrutiny although the country is considered an ally in the war on terror. But most major terrorist incidents across the world in the past two decades also have their footprints going back to Pakistan.
However, the Obama administration is unapologetic about the latest measures and denies there is any racial, ethnic, or religious profiling involved. Officials say the additional scrutiny is the result of new threat assessment intelligence. Even Americans travelling from the notified countries will be subject to extra screening.
