ID checks mooted for Australian domestic travel

Australians may face ID checks and full body scans at domestic airports in the aftermath of an alleged plot to attack an Etihad plane. The Australian newspaper reported that the federal government was looking a domestic security clampdown that would also see restrictions on liquids taken on to domestic flights and allow only passengers with a boarding pass through security. The report came as two Sydney men were charged with acting in preparation for or planning a terrorist act. Police allege the men planned to use an explosive device hidden in a mean grinder to attack an aircraft but failed to make it past check-in. Parts for an improvised explosive device were allegedly sent from Turkey by a senior Islamic State member. The police allege a 49-year old man took the device to Sydney’s international airport with the intention of putting on an Etihad flight to Abu Dhabi by putting it in the luggage of an unwitting passenger related to one of the men. But the bag failed to make it past check-in, partly because it was too heavy. A second plot allegedly involved a plan to use an improvised chemical dispersion device to release toxic hydrogen sulphide gas in a crowded space. A number of experts and a pilots’ union this week called for tighter security on Australian domestic flights, including ID checks, as well as tougher screening for airport ground workers. However, airlines are likely to raise concerns about the cost of the additional measures and their impact on efficiency.