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 News from Around the Americas | August 2006 
Latin America Boosts Airport Security Following Foiled Terror Plot in Britain
 Xinhua
| | Stefanie Tadliferro, 18, of Sao Paulo, Brazil waits, while sitting on the floor in front of an image of an American Airlines plane, for her flight to Brazil at Miami International Airport in Miami, Friday, Aug. 11, 2006. She left Canada for Brazil Tuesday and faced numerous delays due to weather and increased security measures at airports in Canada and the U.S. The national alert level in the U.S. is at the orange level after British authorities arrested 24 people in an alleged plot to blow up U.S.-bound airplanes by using explosives disguised as common liquids. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) |
Latin American airports increased security on Thursday after the British authorities announced they had foiled a plot to attack aircraft heading for the United States from London's Heathrow Airport.
The British government raised its alert to the highest "critical" level due to the discovery of a plot to blow up at least 10 commercial aircraft in mid-air, and 21 suspects were arrested.
Argentina's interior minister, Anibal Fernandez, announced that security officials would adopt "much stricter controls," adding that "when such a thing happens, we will react immediately. We don't distribute press releases."
Argentina has already experienced two attacks. The first was in 1992 when bombs exploded in the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, killing 29 people and wounding over 100.
The second was against the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association which killed 80 people and injured 200 others.
In Venezuela, airlines declared an alert and banned carry-on luggage to avoid that people could bring explosives aboard.
British side has said the explosives could probably be taken onto the planes in the form of liquid in hand luggage disguised as personal items like hair gel, shampoo, toothpaste and perfume.
In Brazil, the government announced that it would enhance checks of hand luggage, particularly in flights coming from Europe.
In Chile, the General Civil Aviation Administration announced that it had boosted inspection of passengers heading for Europe and the United States, adding that it had elevated the alert level at Santiago airport without having to cancel or delay flights.
In Ecuador, the country's Directorate of Civil Aviation said ithad boosted entry and departure controls for U.S. flights. In Colombia, the national airline, Avianca, said it had boosted hand luggage checks, but had not changed its flight plan.
In Mexico, a Mexico City International Airport spokesman said the alert level remained in Phase Two, implying exhaustive searches of passengers, as it had done since the New York and Washington attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.However, the London-Guadalajara, London-Cancun and London-Mexico City flights were keeping to their original schedule.
In Costa Rica, the national airline TACA asked passengers to arrive at the airport three hours earlier to complete security checks and to leave gels and liquids at home.
And in Peru, the company that runs Lima Airport, announced that hand luggage would be inspected by dogs trained to sniff for explosives, and that it would ban all liquid in hand luggage. |
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