US Increases Screening Of Air Freight From Turkey

Air freight arriving in the United States from Turkey will have to go through enhanced screening, the Transportation Security Administration announced.

The additional screening has been introduced after an incident at Sydney Airport in July when Australian police charged two men after a plot to smuggle explosives on to an Etihad Airways flight to Abu Dhabi failed.

An improvised bomb was hidden in luggage the accused attempted to check-in for the Etihad flight, police said. The luggage was not allowed on the flight as it was overweight.

Australian Federal Police said the constituent parts for the bomb had been shipped by air from Turkey before the attempt to get it onto the Abu Dhabi-bound flight.

TSA said the new directive was issued “To adequately address emerging threats to cargo and raise the baseline for global aviation security.”