You might notice an uptick in the amount of random searches going on at airport gates around the country soon, as the Transportation Security Administration says it’s increasing security measures over recent terrorism incidents.
After an attack on magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris and what experts say seems to be the publication of al Qaeda’s most detailed and potentially lethal bomb recipe ever sent to its followers.
ABC News cites a senior law enforcement official who says the major American airlines have been briefed about the recipe, with the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson adding that the TSA will be stepping up random searches of travelers and carry-on luggage.
He notes that while there is “no specific, credible threat” of an attack on the U.S. similar to the attack in paris last week, but that that and other terrorist attacks recently, as well as “the recent public calls by terrorist organizations for attacks on Western objectives, including aircraft, military personnel, and government installations and civilian personnel” made the push for increased security “self-evident.”
The recipe was published in the most recent edition of the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), an English-language magazine in December. It includes how to make an explosive, get it through security and where to sit on the plane with it.
The State Department updated its Worldwide Caution travel alert to all Americans abroad last week.
“Recent terrorist attacks, whether by those affiliated with terrorist entities, copycats, or individual perpetrators, serve as a reminder that U.S. citizens need to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness,” the alert said.
US Steps Up Airport Security After Al Qaeda’s ‘Hidden Bomb’ Recipe [ABC News]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist