Australia announces $173 million security upgrade at airports following attempted US bombing

Australia spends $173 million on airport security

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia announced its response Tuesday to the attempted terrorist attack on an airliner over the United States last Christmas: a 200 million Australian dollar ($173 million) upgrade of airport security around the country that will cause passenger delays.

A key element in the four-year upgrade will be body scanners installed at major international airports by early this year, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said.

Screening of passengers and baggage will also be enhanced with multiview X-ray machines and bottle scanners capable of detecting liquid explosives, he said.

Numbers of dogs capable of detecting firearms and explosives will be increased and more passengers will be tested for traces of explosives.

“This may mean it takes longer for passengers to pass through security, but the government believes that this inconvenience is a small price to pay for increased security,” Rudd told Parliament.

Rudd said privacy concerns would be taken into account when authorities decided how the body scanners are used.

A Nigerian man, 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, is charged attempting to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight trip from Amsterdam to Detroit by igniting explosives concealed in his underwear.