US: Look Out for Bombs Inside Terrorists

Feds warn airlines of potential new strategy
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 6, 2011 12:24 PM CDT
US Government Warns That Terrorists Could Implant Bombs Inside Bodies
A TSA officer looks on as a passenger holds up his arms while going through a full-body scan at a security check-point last year at Seatttle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle.   (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

The US government has warned domestic and international airlines that terrorists are considering surgically implanting explosives into humans, the AP has learned. There is no intelligence pointing to a specific plot, but the US shared its concerns last week with the carriers' executives. People traveling to the US from overseas may experience additional screening at airports because of the threat, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

"Measures may include interaction with passengers, in addition to the use of other screening methods such as pat-downs and the use of enhanced tools and technologies," a TSA spokesman said. Placing explosives and explosive components inside humans isn't a new idea, but a US official says intelligence suggests fresh interest in the tactic. (Click to read about the recent TSA flap involving an elderly woman wearing an adult diaper.)

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