US: All air cargo from Turkey to be screened

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Transportation Security Administration said Thursday that all air cargo coming to the U.S. from Turkey will undergo enhanced screening in the wake of a foiled attempt in July to bomb a commercial airliner.

"To adequately address emerging threats to cargo and raise the baseline for global aviation security, the TSA will issue a security directive and an emergency amendment for enhanced security screening of cargo on Sept. 7, 2017," agency spokesman Michael England told Anadolu Agency.

"The directive and amendment mandates voluntary measures already applied by our partner in Turkey, ensuring that cargo flying to the United States is screened and secured in accordance with the Air Cargo Advance Screening Program."

The new mandate came after Australian law enforcement said a senior Daesh commander had shipped bomb components on a commercial cargo plane from Turkey to Australia in July.

They were used to build an improvised explosive device disguised as a meat mincer. An Etihad Airways flight was targeted on July 15, but the bomb was detected by airport security.

Two men in Sydney who received the bomb parts and built the device were later charged over the incident for terror-related offences.

England said the incident in Australia was an "ominous reminder" for TSA and all other aviation partners to keep the skies secure.

"The requirements outlined in this directive are already being voluntarily applied in Turkey. This security directive/emergency amendment codifies the security measures and ensures that we can enforce these measures," he said.

"Our resolve to reinforce and expand our security procedures here at home, and around the world, is stronger than ever."