Airport security in the spotlight
News@nature.com gethers our stories on security technologies.
When British authorities announced Thursday that they had thwarted a terrorist plot to simultaneously blow up ten aircraft, the spotlight was thrown once more on airport security. The terrorists planned to smuggle liquid explosives disguised as beverages and other common products in their hand luggage, and set them off with simple detonators, which could take the form of anything from a camera to a digital music player.
Read the 'in focus' piece here.
Comments
If a half-dozen terrorists were captured with Semtex suppositories and detonation lanyards dangling from their bums... would it then be pre-boarding enemas for every airline, train, and bus passenger everywhere, forever? Terrorists leverage minuscule acute expenditures into chronic multi-$billion responses.
The solution to the stateless terrorist problem is obvious, quick, universal, and in standing inventory. It will never be implimented.
Posted by: Uncle Al | August 12, 2006 12:33 AM
it is difficult to distinguish the diffent liquid in the bottle hiding in a hand luggage by technical now.i think RF trchnical may have good chance in this field. because different liquid have the different absorbing spectrum.
Posted by: adam rfeynman | August 12, 2006 05:24 AM
Duty Free Stores:
Has anyone ever thought about glass bottles and metal items sold in duty free stores? For well trained individuals some of them may serve as really handy weapons. They are available in the restricted parts of most airports worldwide. And they could be taken in as hand luggage (maybe not any more?).
What about plastic bottles for single malt whiskys and designer perfumes?
Posted by: B.P. Mueller | August 14, 2006 06:28 PM
Having very recently cleared Heathrow en route to Thailand, I am struck by the fact that UK tax- payers money is being used to check EVERY passenger. It is ironic that a facility set up to avoid tax is the reason! Surely cost effectiveness dictates that only passengers travelling on "at risk" flights should be thoroughly screened and then totally separated from other passengers in the "duty-free lounge"?
Posted by: Michael Allen | September 1, 2006 11:03 AM