The new US government agency responsible for airline security said last night it will place armed law enforcement officers throughout the public areas of airports.
The Transportation Security Administration made the announcement in response to a shooting at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday when three people, including the gunman, were killed. An armed El Al security guard shot the attacker, who authorities say was an Egyptian named Mr Hesham Mohamed Hadayet.
"This incident, even if isolated and regardless of motive, emphasizes that we cannot be complacent about any of the security measures that we put in place at our airports and at the other modes of transportation," the TSA said in a statement.
"Had this event occurred at another airline counter without armed security guards, the situation unfortunately would have been worse," the agency said.
The officers will patrol all public areas of the airports, including ticket counters, the TSA said. The agency declined to discuss how many officers would be deployed, where they would be stationed or how soon the changes will take place.
The agency is in the process of hiring thousands of new employees to perform a variety of security functions at airports.
The undercover investigators, who have transferred to the new security agency from the Federal Aviation Administration, will look for suspicious individuals and intervene when necessary, the TSA said.
AFP
