Starting Monday, overseas passengers on US-bound flights face ‘enhanced screening’

Passengers on US-bound flights face more screening

WASHINGTON — Passengers flying into the United States from Nigeria, Yemen and other “countries of interest” will be subject to enhanced screening techniques, such as body scans and pat-downs, the Transportation Security Administration said Sunday.

Starting Monday, all passengers on U.S.-bound international flights will be subject to random screening. Airports are also directed to increase “threat-based” screening of passengers who may be acting in a suspicious manner.

In addition, anyone traveling from or though nations regarded as state sponsors of terrorism — as well as “other countries of interest” — will be required to go through enhanced screening. The TSA said those techniques include full-body pat-downs, carry-on bag searches, full-body scanning and explosive detection technology.

The State Department lists Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria as state sponsors of terrorism. The other countries whose passengers will face enhanced screening include Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man who allegedly tried to set off an explosive device aboard a Northwest airliner on Christmas Day, has told U.S. investigators he received training and instructions from al-Qaida operatives in Yemen.

The TSA said the ability to enforce the new security measures is the “result of extraordinary cooperation from our global aviation partners.”