‘Full-body scanners’ unveiled at New York’s JFK Airport

NEW YORK - New hi-tech ‘full-body scanners’ have been unveiled at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to help security officials to better detect weapons and explosives.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano along with Port Authority officials launched the Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines at the airport’s American Airlines terminal on Friday.

The technology gives screeners an X-ray-like image beneath clothing to look for dangerous materials, including plastics.

It can easily spot any non-metal objects hidden on the passenger’s body that would not be detected by the old-style scanners.

After the launch, Napolitano hailed them as an important breakthrough for airport security and the fight against terrorism.

“These machines represent an important way to stay ahead of the ever-evolving threat that faces the aviation industry,” the New York Daily News quoted Napolitano, as saying.

Napolitano further played down privacy concerns, saying that airport staff would not be able to use the machines to leer at passengers.

“Those who read the images are not actually physically at the gate, so they cannot associate an image with an individual person at all. And the machines are set so that no image is retained,” Napolitano said.

According to reports, over 300 airports in the US will be equipped with these machines this year. (ANI)