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US eyes armed guards for planes
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
US eyes armed guards for planes Armed police and security guards patrol Boston airportAs the US worked to resume civilian air traffic, new anti-hijack measures were revealed, including the possible introduction of an armed "Sky Marshal" on every plane in the future. The marshal idea - already used by the Israeli airline El Al - emerged during emergency congressional debates aimed at the establishment of a US national task force to direct the "war on terrorism". "I could just as easily cut your throat with a credit card" Former El Al security chief on new knife ban More immediate security plans announced by the US Federal Aviation Administration include increased numbers of uniformed security guards and "hundreds" of extra FBI agents at airports. There is also an end to "walk-on" and advanced check-ins at hotels, and all aircraft will undergo lengthy searches before take-off. Silence Many US airports were eerily silent on Wednesday. Los Angeles, the world's third busiest, was almost deserted. At Logan Airport in Boston - take-off point for the hijacked WTC planes - tow-trucks arrived to start the work of removing more than 2,000 vehicles from the airport car park. Airport facilities across the US were largely deserted on Wednesday A spokesman for Logan said on Thursday that security work needed before the airport could re-open was "about half-complete". Some of the new security measures are being kept secret. But steps officially announced include increased use of sniffer-dogs and bomb-detecting equipment; use of hand-held metal detectors; random ID checks on both passengers and airport staff; and a ban on allowing visitors into secure areas to meet passengers on arrival. Cost But there are no plans for a complete ban on hand luggage, as recommended by some security experts. Instead, the FAA has ordered introduction of full "baggage reconciliation" - the matching of all luggage to passengers. This means that a bag will no longer be allowed onto a plane unless the passenger is already aboard. This is the time-consuming and costly procedure which, industry critics say, the airline industry opposed after it was proposed by the previous US administration. All knives and cutting tools - including nail files and rounded butter knives - will now be banned. Sharp steak knives for in-flight meals will no longer be used. Ban ignored Previously, knives with blades less than four inches long - such as pen-knives - were allowed. But, according to reports, restrictions like this were routinely ignored. Numerous witnesses have come forward to say they had little difficulty innocently taking banned items - ranging from grenade-like gas canisters to bullet-proof jackets - onto internal US flights. The new, tighter ban will now be strictly enforced. But some remain pessimistic, believing that security measures can never totally foil determined terrorists. Shlomo Dror, a former head of security at El Al who is now at the Israeli defence ministry, said of the ban on knives: "I could cut your throat just as easily with a credit card." El Al's improved security record, experts believe, is based on the presence of armed, plain-clothes security officers on flights. According to reports, the US Justice Department is considering the introduction of similar armed "Sky Marshals". Full coverage Key storiesLatest reportEight held in USUK pledges actionTaleban defiantFlights resume Human tragediesOne desperate searchPoster appealsRescue hopes dentedSurvivor ignored advice Economic impactWall Street reopensInsurance guessworkCentral banks actQ&A: Global impactCounting the costs Correspondent reportsIslam: Faith under fireBush leadership testAttack in context TALKING POINT How have the attacks affected you? AUDIO VIDEO Day of terrorAftermath of attack See also:13 Sep 01 | BusinessGreen light for US flights Internet links:El AlFederal Aviation Administration, USAThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sitesTop Americas stories now:Nations unite in mourning Eight held in US terror attacks probe Weather threat to search effort Congress agrees $40bn aid package Transatlantic flights resume In pictures: A world in mourning Flight recorders recovered at Pentagon O'Neill sees recovery ahead Links to more Americas stories are at the foot of the page. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_1542000/1542046.stm