New air cargo restriction imposed

Aviation industry leaders are due to meet Transport Secretary Philip Hammond to discuss security following the air cargo bomb plot.

Airlines, airports and parcel companies will be at the meeting in London.

It follows last Friday’s discovery of a bomb on a US-bound UPS cargo plane at East Midlands airport and a similar bomb on a FedEx plane in Dubai.

Unaccompanied freight flown to the UK from Somalia as well as Yemen has been banned in the wake of the plot.

Home Secretary Theresa May told MPs this week about the ban on toner cartridges over 500g from hand baggage on UK flights,

The move was based on possible contact between al-Qaeda in Yemen and Somali terrorist groups, she said.

Speaking in the Commons, Mrs May said there was no information another attack was imminent, but she confirmed a review of all aspects of air freight security.

BAR UK – which represents more than 80 UK airlines – and airport operator BAA have said they will work with the government on the changes.

French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux has said that one of the two parcel bombs was defused 17 minutes before it was due to explode.

Mr Hortefeux was speaking to France-2 television but did not reveal his source for the information.

The explosive contained in the device at East Midlands was found after a tip-off and was not picked up by initial screening.

Investigators at the airport carried out a re-examination as a precaution and the bomb was found hidden in a printer cartridge posted in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

UK officials said the tip-off came from al-Qaeda member Jabr Al-Faifi, who turned himself in to Saudi authorities two weeks ago.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.