Australia has tightened airport security after authorities foiled what they say was a plan to take down an airliner, with at least one report claiming the target was an international flight to the Middle East.
Passengers are being told to allow extra time and minimise cabin baggage when checking into airports after the New South Wales Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) arrested four men in raids in several Sydney suburbs on Saturday.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said security had been increased at Sydney Airport since Thursday and extended to all major international and domestic terminals overnight.
“I can report last night that there has been a major joint counterterrorism operation to disrupt a terrorist plot to bring down an airplane,” Turnbull told reporters. “The operation is continuing.”
The Australian newspaper said Monday it had been told by sources the plan was to attack the plane with “a non-traditional device” explosive device that would have used a toxic sulphur-based gas to kill or immobilise everyone on the plane. The newspaper said authorities believed the plan had been orchestrated by Islamic militants in Syria.
Transport Minister Darren Chester said additional security measures were put in place at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Darwin, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Cairns, Gold Coast and Hobart airports.
Both Chester and Turnbull urged travellers to go about their business with confidence.
“Some of these measures will be obvious to the travelling public, others will not,’’ Chester said. “The increased measures will include additional checks of cabin and checked baggage.
“These additional measures complement the security arrangements already in place and are being applied as an extra precaution, in coordination with counter terrorism raids in Sydney last night.”
Searches were conducted at five properties in the Sydney suburbs of Lakemba, Surry Hills, Wiley Park and Punchbowl on Saturday by Australian Federal Police, New South Wales Police and intelligence agency ASI0.
Australian Federal Police commissioner Andrew Colvin said the attack planned to use an improvised device to target an Australian plane.
Colvin described the threat as “credible’’ and said authorities believed it was Islamic-inspired.
But he said there was no evidence to suggest airport security had been compromised.
“Australia has some of the best, if not the best airport security arrangements in the world and we’re confident those measures are effective and would have been effective, in this circumstance,’’ he said
Colvin cautioned the investigation was “at very early stage” and that searches at four of the five raided premises were ongoing.
“And we anticipate they will be ongoing for many hours if not days,’’ he said.
The ABC reported it had been told police had found materials and items that could have been used to make a homemade bomb at a property in inner-city Surry Hills.
The broadcaster said it understood authorities believed the group was intending to smuggle the device onto a plane. Seven News later said it had been told the target was an international flight tot he Middle East, possibly Dubai.
It is not clear how long the extra security measures will be in place and airlines have been texting and emailing passengers to urge them to be prepared.
There is no change to what can or cannot be carried on aircraft but travellers are being advised to arrive two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international services.
They are also being asked to limit the amount of carry-on and checked baggage where possible to help ensure the efficiency of security screening.
As expected, the Monday-morning surge in traffic caused long lines at major airports but passengers appeared to generally accept the need for tighter security.
The Qantas Group, which includes low-cost carrier Jetstar, said it was working closely with government and airport partners to implement the increased measures.
“Australia has very strong safeguards in place at its airports; these changes are about making them even stronger,’’ it said.
Virgin Australia said in a statement: “The travelling public can expect to experience an increased level of security scrutiny at the airport but they should not be concerned about these precautionary measures.
“As the measures place an additional burden on the screening system, it may take a little longer than usual to get through the process.”
US authorities warned of ongoing terrorist interest in targeting commercial aviation when they introduced a controversial ban on taking laptops and other large electronic devices as cabin baggage on direct flights to the US from airports in the Middle East and North Africa.
In a Q&A released at the time by the Department of Homeland Security, the US said it was concerned about terrorists “ongoing interest in targeting commercial aviation, including transportation hubs over the past two years, as evidenced by the 2015 airliner downing in Egypt, the 2016 attempted airliner downing in Somalia, and the 2016 armed attacks against airports in Brussels and Istanbul”.
“Evaluated intelligence indicates that terrorist groups continue to target commercial aviation, to include smuggling explosive devices in various consumer items,’’ it said.
The DHS has since lifted the laptop ban but required airports operating direct flights to US destinations to have in place “enhanced” security measures.
These included a boost to overall passenger screening, heightened screening of personal electronic devices as well as increased security protocols around aircraft and in passenger areas.
Chester said security measures in place in Australia included passenger, cabin and checked-luggage screening as well as hardened cockpit doors, security-related cabin crew training and plain clothes in-flight security officers.
He said the government also worked closely with airport operators to ensure that physical security measures were in place to protect publicly accessible areas of airport terminals.
“This includes the design of airport infrastructure to reduce the impact of a terrorist attack,’’ he said.
“As the Prime Minister has said, the safety and security of the travelling public is the government’s number one priority.”
