Schiphol warned about 'shoe bombs'
Schiphol is one of the airports that has received warnings about 'shoe bombs' to flights heading for America. Sources inside American security services told this to Reuters, the AD reports. The American Department of Homeland Security has warned about 30 airports. They announced on Wednesday that they have recently received information about a possible attack. There was no indication as to whether a particular airport has been targeted, nor can a specific time or place be confirmed. According to sources at Reuters, the warning has to do with concerns about Al-Quaeda on the Arabic Peninsula in Yemen. The most important bomb manufacturer of the terrorist organization, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri is thought to have developed new bomb designs to sidestep security measures at airports. The Dutch National Coordinator Terrorism Suppression and Safety (NCTV) says that the current threat indications "do not give reason to impose extra measures on top of the sharpened measures already in place for flights to the United States." The NCTV also assures that there is always contact with international partners about security. In total, America has warned about 30 international airports. In Europe, the main airports concerned are those in London, Heathrow and Gatwick, and also the airport in Manchester. Airports in Africa and the Middle-East have also received warning.
The 'shoe bomb' isn't a new concept. In 2001, the British Richard Reid was arrested because of perceived plans to blow up an American Airlines flight en route from Paris to Miami. Three weeks ago, the US also came with a warning, this one mainly concerning flights to and from Russia. Homeland Security claimed explosives might be taken on board aircrafts in tooth paste tubes. The busy Winter Olympics period in Sochi caused for extra risk.
