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Body scans for all US-bound air passengersWednesday 30 December 2009 Amsterdam's Schiphol airport is to introduce full body scans for all passengers traveling to the US within three weeks, home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst told a news conference on Wednesday afternoon. The scans are being brought in at the insistence of the US authorities, following the attempt to blow up a plane flying from Schiphol to Detroit on December 25. Some scanners are already in use but others have to be fitted with special software allowing the pictures to be analysed by computer because of privacy concerns, the minister said. Once the new software has been installed, security officials will be alerted if the computer detects something suspicious. Until the software has been installed, everyone traveling to the US will be given a body search, Ter Horst said. There has been growing criticism that advanced body scan equipment is not yet in use because of privacy objections from some EU countries. According to many security experts, including those at Schiphol, such a body scan could have detected the explosives concealed in the bomber's underwear. 'Our view is that body scans would have helped, but we do not have 100% certainty,' Ter Horst told reporters. Ter Horst denied that security at Schiphol had failed. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who has been charged with trying to blow up the Northwest Airlines plane in the US, was on a list of people ‘to watch’ in relation to terrorism although he was not on the so-called ‘no fly’ list. He had a visa for the US. And Erik Akerboom of the Dutch counter terrorism organisation NCTb told the news conference Abdulmutallab's passport had been checked before he boarded the US-bound plane after spending some two hours in transit at Schiphol. The fact that he paid for his ticket with cash and had no luggage is not considered 'strange behaviour' for travellers from Nigeria, he said. Reports that Abdulmutallab had contact at Schiphol with a second man in a suit are an integral part of the ongoing investigation, Akerboom said. But there is no evidence the explosive was given to him at Schiphol and the security camera footage supposedly showing the encounter is being analysed, he said. Amateurish Ter Horst described the attempt to blow a hole in the side of the Northwest/Delta plane as 'professionally prepared but amateurishly carried out'. Abdulmutallab used explosives which are difficult to make and must have come from a third party, she said. However, 'to make it explode, you need to ignite it in a different way', she said. Nevertheless, 'the world has escaped an incident which could have had very serious consequences', she said. © DutchNews.nl
This finishes the job . I will never go to Amsterdam again as the Dutch have become fanatical rightwing losers. By Robert | December 30, 2009 3:41 PM It will be interesting to see how they accomplish this. By wilber | December 30, 2009 3:56 PM Ah - health care reform. Very soon I can just book a flight to the US and get a whole body scan at Schiphol - no need to go the Doctor and much less expensive. No doubt the scanner operators will be trained in Radiology for on the spot analysis of the image. I would like to know the history of and the truth behind the arrangement of this sale of 15-body scanners and exactly what motivated it. By LuvHolland | December 30, 2009 4:37 PM It's called "locking the barn door after the horse is stolen." From my experience, Schiphol security has been most stringent in all the years I've flown out of that airport. The Dutch have caved in to the US' usual kneejerk response to any attempted act of terrorism, that is to overreact to the specific tactic of a specific terrorist. Restrictions on liquids (shampoos, etc) was the same thing. By Jay Vos | December 30, 2009 4:44 PM I am all for it. Also because it will drastically limit travelling by Muslims and Muslimas who would definitely refuse to be looked under their clothing.After all that is where most of the bombs are.I hope this procedure will speed up or make other time consuming security inspections superfluous. By Jan-Dirk Wagenaar | December 30, 2009 4:48 PM I'm not flying to the USA ever again! Too many muslims hate them, even though they have a muslim president. By Patrick Henry | December 30, 2009 7:05 PM I am very afraid of flying as it is, every time I go home the day before I start with flying nerves, I don’t want to be afraid of the passenger beside me as well, I welcome all the checks and security measures, the more the merrier I don’t care if I have take all my clothes off if I have to as long as I know the guy/girl behind me will do it too :-))) By Kristy | December 30, 2009 9:22 PM Is this going to be the future of flying ? By leon belgrave | December 31, 2009 1:47 AM Take the train to Germany / Belguim and skip the lines. Pull Dutch troops out of the American wars. We do not need to be in the same "boat" as them. By Paul Martin | December 31, 2009 12:40 PM Is this going to be the future of flying ? Yes, as long as ypu allow people to board airlines carrying devices that can blow-up I think it may be the 'logical' thing to do. I mean really........ By Brad | January 1, 2010 5:29 AM Based on several witnesses on the flight, a "sharp suited man" who assisted the Underpants Bomber onto the plane, passed the terrorist off as a "Sudanese refugee" without proper documentation. Surely, you have security cameras that have footage of that suspect. By Judith | January 2, 2010 4:53 AM This is a true shame for me. I lived in Amsterdam for three years and have many friends in NL. Now, I will have to fly into Germany or France and take a train or rent a car to go to NL, because I won't be flying through NL. I'm not willing to submit to a strip search just to prove I'm innocent. Punish the guilty and stop harassing the VAST MAJORITY of the people who are law-abiding citizens. The worst part is that all of this is because of hatred toward the US. I am an American and I love my country, just as I suspect Dutchmen love their country and Nigerians love their country, etc, etc... I hate the US GOVERNMENT'S policies that have created this hatred for the US. Most of us just want to do our jobs and enjoy time with family and friends, much like most people in this world. It's a damn shame that our political leaders have to mess that up for ALL of us. Think about it, people. The GOVERNMENTS of the world creates a mess and the people who pay the real price are the ordinary working people who have NO say so in govermnent policies. Damn shame is what it is. By Tim | January 2, 2010 10:30 PM
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Ughhh, where will it end? The fact that flying has already become such an unpleasant experience due to the charade that passes for security means the terrorists have already won.
Yes, of course I want to be safe as I travel, but this case proves more attention should be given to intelligence, rather than just making everybody's lives more unpleasant.
By Frequent Flyer | December 30, 2009 3:03 PM