Security measures for US aircraft unveiled

The US will "dramatically increase" the number of armed plainclothed guards flying on commercial flights, President George Bush announced yesterday.

Speaking to hundreds of airport workers at O'Hare in Chicago, Mr Bush said that airline workers were in the front line of the struggle against terrorism, proving "we will not surrender our freedom to travel". He pledged a range of new measures to improve security including exploring the possibility of ground controllers being able to take remote control of hijacked flights to land them safely.

Meanwhile, the President has given the authority to two generals to order commercial planes that threaten US cities shot down without checking first with him. The new rules of engagement, a last resort when there was not enough time to consult the President, the Vice-President, or the Secretary of Defence, was taken to speed up the reaction time of US defences against hijackers.

The Defence Secretary, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, said however both he and the President have at no stage been more than one minute from a secure phone link.

Mr Bush's flight on Air Force One, his first since September 11th, was being billed by aides as an affirmation of the safety of air flight. The Transportation Secretary, Mr Norman Mineta, pointedly flew to Chicago on a commercial flight to join him. Also present were leading Republican and Democratic politicians and the head of the US trade union confederation, the AFL-CIO, Mr John Sweeney. "Get on airlines, get about the business of America," Mr Bush said.

He said the government would spend $500 million to make cockpits more secure and to ensure the transponders which signal an airliner's whereabouts would work even in an emergency. Video cameras would be installed to give pilots a view of what is happening at the back of the aircraft. The government would invest in new baggage-screening equipment.

Mr Bush said he would work with Congress to put the government in charge of airport security and screening services. While the new security will be performed by a mix of government and private workers, uniformed federal personnel will manage all operations and maintain a visible presence at the nation's 420 commercial passenger airports. The government will set new standards for airport security, supervise passenger and baggage security, test, train and carry out background checks on security personnel.

The US Department of Justice last night released the names of 19 suspects accused of hijacking four airliners involved in the US attacks. The FBI director, Mr Robert Mueller, said one or more of the hijackers had contacts with the al Qaeda network.

The suspects include: Marwan Al Shehi, Fayez Rashid Ahmed Hassan Al Qadi Banihammad, Mohald Alshehri, Hamza Alghamdi and Ahmed Alghamdi were flying on United Airlines Flight 175, which hit the World Trade Center; Waleed M. Alshehri, Wail Alshehri, Mohamed Atta, Abdulaziz Alomari and Satam Al Suqami were aboard American Airlines Flight 11, which also hit the World Trade Center; Khalid Al-Midhar, Majed Moqed, Nawaf Alhamzi, Salem Alhamzi and Hani Hanjour were on American Airlines Flight 77, which hit the Pentagon; Ahmed Alhaznawi, Ahmed Alnami, Ziad Samir Jarrah and Saeed Alghamdi were on United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside.

--(Reuters)