By Dapo Olufade, Editor

FOR air passengers across the globe, travelling will never be the same again in the aftermath of the Christmas Day aborted plot by Umar Farouk  Abdulmutallab, 23, to blow up a US plane over Detroit.

For sure the financial cost of improving security at airports in response to the fresh challengeposed  by Abdulmutallab’s plot may never be known as equipment for security checks don’t come cheap. Nigeria, for instance, plans to install 3D body scanners at its international airports as part of the effort to upgrade security.

The director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Dr. Harold Demurin said in Lagos that the  3D total body  imaging scanners  would  be installed at the four main airports of Lagos,Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt. The scanners are expected to be operational by the end of this month.

President Barack Obama has summoned a meeting with US intelligence chiefs on Tuesday to discuss how to prevent a repeat of Abdulmutallab’s botched attempt. Mr. Obama who came  under severe attack from  the Republicans, for allegedly relaxing counter terrorism measures put in place following the September 11, 2001 attacks ordered an immediate  review of “human and systematic failures” exploited by Abdulmutallab.

Media reports in the US suggest that American intelligence operatives had suspected all along that Al-Qaeda was plotting a “Christmas surprise”. The French Agency (AFP), quoting the CBS News said the counter terrorism office was too flooded to pinpoint a suspected airplane bomber. The network said a high ranking intelligence officer, whom it did not identify, told it that US agencies “knew Al-Qaeda was promising a Christmas surprise.”

“We’d been tracking this stuff for months, without being able to connect the dots of what was happening and what was going to happen,” it quoted the official as saying.

The official said the problem lay at the National Counterterrorism Center, a database for suspicious behavior, as “they get 8,000 messages a day.”

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

“We couldn’t come up with something that was credible so we assumed Al-Qaeda was still in the planning stages,” the official was quoted as saying. CBS News quoted the official as saying that the choice of Abdulmutallab showed the growing sophistication of Al-Qaeda as until now it had largely recruited Arabs. There are also suggestions that heads may roll in the US security national after Admiral Dennis Blair, the director of national intelligence said in a memo to state that those who made mistakes in the incident would be held accountable.

“The president was direct in his assessment that intelligence failures were a contributing factor in the escalation of this threat. This is a tough message for us to receive. “In coming days, we will review what information was available to whom, determine what mistakes  were made in assessing or sharing that information,commend  those who did their jobs well and hold accountable those who did not. “I have no doubt in our ability to close the gaps that those attacks exposed”. Blair was quoted as saying.

Response to the development from the UK was no less swift with Prime Minister Gordon Brown calling an international meeting on combatting extremism in Yemen for January 28 in London. The UK is also moving quickly to enhance airport security. The Prime Minister said he had ordered an immediate review – reporting back within days -of physical security and the systems used to identify potential terrorists.

The Times of London quoted him as saying in an article on the Downing Street website that the use of full-body scanners would be among measures to be discussed with the US in a bid to prevent a repeat of the attempted atrocity. Mr. Brown said it was “increasingly clear” the would be bomber did not become an extremist while a  student in London but said the UK had to remain vigilant for the radicalisation of young Muslims.

Downing Street said the Jaunary 28 meeting would “stand alone” but run “in parallel” with another conference on Afghanistan on the same day and will be attended by senior ministers or leaders from around 43 nations. The aims would include identifying what the Yemeni government needs to help it fight violent Islamic extremism and coordinating assistance for areas most at risk of becoming radical, the statement said. Brown added: “The international community must not deny Yemen the support it needs to tackle extremism.”

The announcement of the meeting came hours after Brown said the Detroit incident shows that terrorism remains a “very real” global threat as the world enters a new decade, eight years on from 9/11. The alleged plot, which has led to a major review of security procedures and the coordination of airline and other watch lists, threw the spotlight onto the threat posed by militants based in Yemen, Brown said.

“Enemies of democracy and freedom now trying to mastermind death and destruction from Yemen as well as other better known homes of international terror such as Pakistan and Afghanistan are concealing explosives in ways which are more difficult to detect,” said Brown .

“Al-Qaeda and their associates continue in their ambition to indoctrinate thousands of young people around the world with a deadly desire to kill and maim. “Our response in security, intelligence, policing and military action, is not just an act of choice but an act of necessity.” He added world leaders must now cooperate “urgently” to tighten security at airports and on planes. Britain had ordered a review of airport security arrangements, he said, promising action “as quickly as possible”.

This could include the use of full body scanners at airports only previously used to a limited extent. “The new decade is starting as the last began with Al-Qaeda creating a climate of fear,” Brown wrote, saying the failed bombing had “exposed an evolving terrorist threat” and highlighted “a major new base for terrorism.” The Netherlands plans to introduce scanners which will take a “naked” image of passengers for flush to the US from Amsterdam. Besides such scanning, passengers may spend longer  time on the queue at airports to undergo security checks. This means they may be required to report at least two hours before flight take off.

Nigerian passengers in particular should expect more scrutiny at foreign airports especially in the US and UK.

Timeline of Umar Farouk recent movement

The following is a timeline of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s recent known movements:

2005 – 2008. LONDON. Abdulmutallab studied mechanical engineering at University College London (UCL). He was added to a security watch list in May 2009 after applying for a visa to study at a bogus college, according to British Home Secretary Alan Johnson.

January 2009 – mid 2009. DUBAI. The 23-year-old spent several months at the Dubai campus of Australia’s Wollongong University until he vanished mid-year, said vice-chancellor Gerard Sutton.

“He commenced in January 2009 but disappeared from the residences around the middle of the year and was excluded from the second semester around August, September, October on the basis of non-payment of fees,” Sutton told ABC radio.

His movements between mid 2009 and August 2009 are not known.

August – December 2009. YEMEN. Authorities in Yemen said Abdulmutallab, who has been charged with trying to blow up a US-bound airliner, was still in the country earlier this month, after the local Al-Qaeda branch claimed the attempted bombing. “He stayed in Yemen between the beginning of August and the beginning of December, after having received a visa to study Arabic at an institute in Sanaa where he had previously studied,” a Yemeni foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Saba news agency.

December 16, 2009: GHANA. Abdulmutallab buys an e-ticket for a KLM flight from Lagos to Detroit, via Amsterdam, at the airline’s office in Accra.

December 24, 2009. NIGERIA. Abdulmutallab, with a valid US visa, boarded a plane in Lagos for Amsterdam-Schiphol airport, according to a statement from the office of the Netherlands anti-terrorism coordinator (NCTB).

December 25. NETHERLANDS-US. Abdulmutallab took a connecting flight from Schiphol to Detroit after raising no suspicions during a security check. “According to initial inquiries, this check was carried out in line with regulations,” and “no malfunction was noted,” NCTB said. However, it said, “it cannot be ruled out that potentially dangerous objects may be taken on board, especially objects that are difficult to detect with current security technology like walk-through scanners.”

The flight was cleared for take-off by US authorities after the passenger list was communicated to them by Northwest Airlines in line with standard security procedures, NCTB said.

As the plane began its descent to Detroit, Abdulmutallab allegedly ignited a hidden device sparking flames, before being overpowered by passengers and then dragged to the front of the plane by cabin crew where he was isolated as the aircraft landed. After his arrest Abdulmutallab told US authorities that he had used a syringe filled with chemicals to mix with powder taped to his leg, according to senior officials quoted anonymously by US media.

Abdulmutallab is accused of attempting to blow up the Northwest Airlines flight carrying 279 passengers and 11 crew using a device containing PETN, also known as pentaerythritol tetranitrate, a high explosive.

The explosives were allegedly sewn into his underwear and officials charge that tragedy was averted only because the makeshift detonator failed to work properly before he was overpowered.

Body scanner: How it works
TravelLers still getting used to removing their shoes in public and pouring shampoo into tiny bottles may soon have to adjust to something new in the airport security line giant machines that that scan their bodies for anything a terrorist might use to cause harm during a flight.

High-tech, full-body scanning machines are already in use at a handful of airports, but they may become more common as security officials around the world respond to the attempted attack on an airliner on Christmas Day. The Netherlands announced Wednesday that the scanners would be used for all flights heading from Amsterdam’s airport to the United States, and an official in Nigeria later said that country planned to buy full-body scanners too.

What exactly are these machines, and how do they work? What are the drawbacks to using these types of scans?
Here are some questions and answers about the devices.

Q: How do these full-body scanners work?
A: The two main types of scanners are “millimeter wave” and “backscatter” machines. Millimeter wave units send radio waves over a person and produce a three-dimensional image by measuring the energy reflected back. Backscatter machines use low-level X-rays to create a two-dimensional image of the body.

Q: What sorts of things can they find?
A: The machines are designed to uncover what a physical pat-down could turn up but a metal detector wouldn’t find. That includes plastic or chemical explosives and nonmetallic weapons in a pocket or strapped to someone’s body.
The machines would also find guns, knives and other metallic objects that would set off a metal detector.

Q: What can they not find?
A: Generally, the machines can’t find items stashed in a body cavity. So the scanners wouldn’t stop at least one common smuggling method used by drug traffickers.

*The full body scanner to be installed at airports around the world . Source: AP

Q: How common are they at airports?
A: Because of fears that the scans infringe on travelers’ dignity by revealing bodily contours, European officials have generally limited the machines to tests in airports or train stations. In U.S. airports, the Transportation Security Administration has begun expanding the use of full-body scanning machines, although passengers can opt for a physical pat-down instead. The TSA has 40 in place, just bought 150 and plans to buy 300 more.

Six of the machines are being used instead of a metal detector at airports in Albuquerque, N.M.; Las Vegas; Miami; San Francisco; Salt Lake City; and Tulsa, Okla. The other 34 are used for secondary screening of people who set off a metal detector in Atlanta; Dallas/Fort Worth; Denver; Detroit; Indianapolis; Jacksonville and Tampa, Fla.; Los Angeles; Phoenix; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Richmond, Va.; and two airports in the Washington area: Baltimore/Washington and Reagan National.

Q: Is there a way to make the scans less revealing?
A: The technology has evolved to reduce the clarity of identifying details. The systems blur faces, or they produce body images that look like chalk outlines. Amsterdam’s airport is moving ahead with full-body scanners after trying new software that projects a stylized image rather than an actual picture onto a computer screen. It highlights the area of the body where objects are concealed in pockets or under the clothing. The TSA says it uses logistical methods to safeguard privacy. Full-body images are viewed in a walled-off location not visible to the public. The securityofficer assisting the passenger cannot view the image, and the officer who views the image doesn’t see the passenger.

If the officer     viewing the image sees something of concern, he notifies the agent who is with the passenger to do further screening.

The machines can’t store or print images, and the TSA says officers who view the images are not allowed to take cameras or cell phones into the screening rooms.

Q: How long does it take to be scanned?
A: The machines are getting faster but still can take up to 15 seconds to scan a traveler, which could make the process slower than using metal detectors.TSA officials note that in some instances, these machines can be faster. For instance, people with medical devices that typically set off metal detectors wouldn’t have to make multiple passes through the machine or be pulled aside for additional screening.

Q: Do security officials hope to use the full-body scanners on every person getting on a flight?
A: At the moment, that’s probably not realistic in the U.S. alone, there are 730 checkpoints with 2,100 security lanes at the nation’s 450 airports, and there are thousands more lanes at airports around the world. Cost may be an issue — the machines can be $130,000 to $200,000 each.

Taking Amsterdam, where the machines are already in place, as an example: The airport’s 15 scanners won’t be enough to screen every U.S.-bound passenger, so pat-down searches will still be used. It remains to be seen whether that strategy will be copied at other airports.

Q: Do the scanners pose health risks, especially for frequent travelers?
A: The TSA says the technology is harmless. Millimeter wave energy is common in the world, and the TSA says the scanners produce far less energy than a cell phone. The X-rays in backscatter machines are weak; TSA says the radiation is equivalent to what a person gets in two minutes of flying on an airplane. If someone fears the technology, the TSA offers a physical pat-down.