Britain will speed up the planned introduction of full body scanners at airports following the attempted bombing on Christmas Day of a US passenger plane over Detroit, Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged Friday.In an article published on the Downing Street website, Brown said he had ordered an immediate review of airport security following the "wake-up call" of the attempted attack.
The use of full-body scanners would be among measures to be discussed with the US, he wrote. A report on the conclusions of the review would be finalised within days. Britain has already trialled the scanner at Manchester airport. But the BAA, the authority which runs the country's major airports, has said that it would await a European ruling on privacy regulations before considering their introduction.
Brown said the measures to be introduced as a result of the review would also affect transit passengers passing through major airports in London and other British cities. The Dutch government has already announced that the scanners, which take a "naked" image of passengers, will be introduced for flights to the US from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.
Nigerian man Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the suspected bomber, boarded the Northwest Airlines plane with 280 passengers on board in Amsterdam. The US authorities have said he attempted to ignite explosive stored in his underwear. "In co-operation with President Obama and the Americans, we will examine a range of new techniques to enhance airport security systems beyond the traditional measures," said Brown. "These could include advancing our use of explosive trace technology, full body scanners and advanced x-ray technology."
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