Community Corner

Anniversary of bin Laden's Death Prompts Terror Alert at SoCal Airports

Latest threat is people with surgically implanted explosives, authorities say.

In response to reports that terrorist organizations may try to use surgically implanted bombs to bypass security checks -- and because Tuesday is the one-year anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden -- the terror threat has been "elevated" at John Wayne Airport and other Southern California airports.

Various media reports out of Washington said security has also been stepped up at airports in Europe and the Middle East, and federal air marshals had been deployed overseas in advance of the anniversary of bin Laden's death.

While the terror alert is elevated for the anniversary, Department of Homeland Security officials said there was no specific threat of an attack.

Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We have no indication of any specific, credible threats or plots against the U.S. tied to the one-year anniversary of bin Laden's death,'' DHS spokesman Peter Boogaard told ABC News.

However, U.S. and European authorities have been warning for the past year that al-Qaida operatives have been working to design non-metal explosives that can be surgically implanted so the carrier can slip unnoticed through airport security.

Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

- City News Service


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here