LOD, Israel
(Reuters) - Israel has introduced a step-on scanner that spares airline
travelers the nuisance of having to remove their shoes so they can be
X-rayed for hidden weapons, though the new device cannot yet sniff out
explosives.
Only the shoes of passengers deemed suspicious by Ben-Gurion Airport
staff are removed, X-rayed and swabbed for bomb residues. Most people
can now keep their shoes on.
Installed next to the walk-through scanners at Ben-Gurion, "MagShoe"
announces within two seconds whether the footwear of the passenger
standing on it contains unusual metal that might be a knife for a
hijacking or a bomb detonator part.
"This innovation brings enormous logistical value as it
significantly cuts down the discomfort and delays associated with
standard shoe searches," said Nissim Ben-Ezra, security technologies
manager for Israel's Airports Authority.
But he said MagShoe must be used in conjunction with other
precautions, especially as it would not spot hidden explosives -- a
major concern after the botched 2001 "shoe bombing" by al Qaeda
sympathizer Richard Reid aboard a Paris-Miami flight.
A bomb-sniffing version of the suitcase-sized MagShoe is in the
works, an Israeli security source said. The current version, produced
by Israeli firm Ido Security Ltd., costs about $5,000.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is assessing
MagShoe's feasibility for American airports and several other countries
have expressed an interest, the Israeli source said.
(Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Louise Ireland)
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