US officials warn of ‘belly bomb’ rumour

If latest reports are to be believed, body scanners at airports, as voted on this week by the EU Parliament, may not be enough.

American officials have warned airlines that al Qaeda is developing “belly bombs” which would allow suicide bombers to beat security.

No plot has been uncovered but a man claiming to be a surgeon is said to have described the plans on a jihadist website.

But experts are sceptical about how it would work. “There are numerous technical problems to trying to make an effective explosive device operate inside a human body, especially one that has to incubate for some time and then explode. Certainly the body itself will act as a bit of a cushion to the effect of the explosive,” said Juan Zarate, a national security analyst.

Officials say there is no imminent threat. But passengers, particularly those travelling to the US, can expect more searches and random interviews at airports.

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