A minor upgrading of security restrictions have been announced preventing air travellers from carrying printer cartridges onto aircraft in hand baggage after last week’s terror alert.
Home secretary Teresa May told the House of Commons that the government was working with the security industry on new ways of detecting suspect devices.
In the mean time additional restrictions will be put in place for one month for printer cartridges over 500 grams both being transport in hand baggage and as unaccompanied cargo.
May told the Commons that the devices found on cargo aircraft at East Midlands Airport and in Dubai on Friday were a “viable” plot to blow up aircraft in mid air according to analysis.
She said this plot was being led by Al Queda in the Arabian Peninsula, an increasingly active group that has carried out recent attacks on western interests in the Middle East.
Restrictions put in place after Friday’s discovery of the devices have been extended to include Somalia as well as the Yemen.
May said this was because of suspected links to terrorist groups in the Yemen and Somalia and security concerns at Mogadishu.