US to tighten restrictions on European tourists

US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he wants to tighten travel rules for Europeans entering the US without visas, German news magazine Der Spiegel reported today.

“We want to increase our security standard by introducing electronic travel approvals,” Chertoff said.

He said Europeans who are currently allowed to enter the US without visas should register online and fill out a questionnaire 48 hours before they fly to the US, according to an interview with Spiegel newsweekly.

He said that Islamist terrorists travelling with European passports presented a threat to America that needed to be addressed.