Irish case cited in airport security study

AN EU study has ruled out introducing a system of reduced airport security checks for low-risk passengers because of fears security would be compromised.

It cited the example of a pregnant Irish woman, who was innocently duped into carrying a bomb on board an El Al flight from Heathrow to Tel Aviv in 1986 by her Palestinian boyfriend, as one of the main reasons why such a system could not work.

The EU Commission, which commissioned the report, hoped to examine the feasibility of a “registered passenger” scheme that would identify groups of passengers with a low risk to aviation security who could be exempted from certain controls.