US increases security at overseas airports amid bomb concerns

The United States said on Wednesday it would increase security at overseas airports with nonstop flights to the country, and US officials cited concerns al Qaeda operatives in Syria and Yemen were developing bombs that could be smuggled onto planes. The new security measures would be required at airports in Europe, Africa and the Middle East that have direct flights, the US officials said. The Department of Homeland Security said ‘enhanced security measures’ would be implemented in the next few days at ‘certain overseas airports with direct flights into the United States.’ It did not specify which airports or what countries would be affected, nor did it say what triggered the extra precautions. ‘We are sharing recent and relevant information with our foreign allies and are consulting the aviation industry,’ DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement, according to Reuters.