New full-body scanners are already being ordered by the British Airports Authority, the prime minister said this morning as he outlined a new regime of tightened airport security.Speaking on BBC One's Andrew Marr programme, Gordon Brown pre-empted the findings of his own review by saying future passengers must expect to be scanned by the controversial scanners. The devices have received mixed appraisals on whether they are suitable to detect the new type of explosive that 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is accused of using in an attempt to blow up a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day.Since that attempted attack, an urgent review into airport security has begun. The transport secretary, Andrew Adonis, is expected to report its findings to parliament this week.BAA, which operates six British airports, said today it would move quickly to install full-body scanners at London's Heathrow."Now that the government has given the go-ahead, we will introduce full-body scanners as soon as practical," a spokesman for BAA told Reuters. He said BAA was just looking at introducing the scanners at Heathrow - Europe's busiest airport by passenger numbers - at this stage.
New full-body scanners are already being ordered by the British Airports Authority, the prime minister said this morning as he outlined a new regime of tightened airport security.
Speaking on BBC One's Andrew Marr programme, Gordon Brown pre-empted the findings of his own review by saying future passengers must expect to be scanned by the controversial scanners. The devices have received mixed appraisals on whether they are suitable to detect the new type of explosive that 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is accused of using in an attempt to blow up a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day.
Since that attempted attack, an urgent review into airport security has begun. The transport secretary, Andrew Adonis, is expected to report its findings to parliament this week.
BAA, which operates six British airports, said today it would move quickly to install full-body scanners at London's Heathrow.
"Now that the government has given the go-ahead, we will introduce full-body scanners as soon as practical," a spokesman for BAA told Reuters. He said BAA was just looking at introducing the scanners at Heathrow - Europe's busiest airport by passenger numbers - at this stage.
Officials in Germany say the country may test and deploy a new generation of body scanners at airports this year despite concerns that the devices violate passengers' privacy
New technology that Gordon Brown relies on for his response to the Christmas Day bomb attack has been tested - and found wantingThe explosive device smuggled in the clothing of the Detroit bomb suspect would not have been detected by body-scanners set to be introduced in British airports, an expert on the technology warned last night. The claim severely undermines Gordon Brown's focus on hi-tech scanners for airline passengers as part of his review into airport security after the attempted attack on Flight 253 on Christmas Day.The Independent on Sunday has also heard authoritative claims that officials at the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Home Office have already tested the scanners and were not persuaded that they would work comprehensively against terrorist threats to aviation.
The explosive device smuggled in the clothing of the Detroit bomb suspect would not have been detected by body-scanners set to be introduced in British airports, an expert on the technology warned last night.
The claim severely undermines Gordon Brown's focus on hi-tech scanners for airline passengers as part of his review into airport security after the attempted attack on Flight 253 on Christmas Day.
The Independent on Sunday has also heard authoritative claims that officials at the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Home Office have already tested the scanners and were not persuaded that they would work comprehensively against terrorist threats to aviation.
