Tighter security for passengers heading to US

US-bound travelers from Europe and the Middle East faced tighter airport security yesterday due to fears that Muslim extremists are developing new explosives that can be slipped onto planes undetected.

The stepped-up security checks were ordered as the US embassy in Uganda warned of a "specific threat" to attack Kampala's Entebbe International airport.

Although the embassy did not name any group, al-Qaida linked Shebab insurgents have claimed recent attacks in neighboring Kenya and Djibouti, and at home in Somalia.

US Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced the extra security on direct flights to the United States from some overseas airports on Wednesday, without citing evidence of any specific plot.

The move comes amid broader Western intelligence concerns that hundreds of Islamist radicals travelling from Europe to fight in the Middle East could pose a security risk on their return.

On Sunday, US President Barack Obama warned that "battle-hardened" Europeans who embrace jihad in Syria and Iraq threaten the US because their passports mean they can enter without a visa.

The airports concerned are in the Middle East and Europe and were targeted "based on real-time intelligence," according to an official at the Department of Homeland Security.

Britain confirmed it is bolstering security at its airports in response.

Analysts said the move was likely linked to concerns al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula was passing bombmaking expertise to militants in Syria.

The fear is that militants with European passports could then bring these skills back home with them and launch an attack, experts add.

Despite the increased checks, Britain said the international terror threat level issued by security service MI5 remained unchanged at substantial, the third highest grade out of five, where it has been since July 2011.

'Safety first'

Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain was taking a "safety first" approach.

"We take these decisions looking at the evidence in front of us and working with our partners," he told Sky News. "The safety of the travelling public must come first — we mustn't take any risks."

The measures threaten disruptions for passengers at the start of the holiday season.

But officials insist passengers should not face significant delays and London's Heathrow airport — one of the world's busiest international air hubs — and Gatwick, south of the capital, were both operating normally yesterday.

Passengers in Britain have long faced tight security measures at airports following high-profile threats including a failed attempt by British "shoe bomber" Richard Reid to blow up a US-bound flight in 2001.

Security was further tightened after a plot to blow up "liquid bombs" on transatlantic flights was uncovered in 2006.

A previous high-profile attempt to blow up a US-bound plane failed on December 25, 2009 when Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to detonate explosives in his underwear.