LOD, Israel(Reuters) – Israel has introduced a step-on scanner that spares airlinetravelers the nuisance of having to remove their shoes so they can beX-rayed for hidden weapons, though the new device cannot yet sniff outexplosives.
Only the shoes of passengers deemed suspicious by Ben-Gurion Airportstaff are removed, X-rayed and swabbed for bomb residues. Most peoplecan 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 passengerstanding on it contains unusual metal that might be a knife for ahijacking or a bomb detonator part.
"This innovation brings enormous logistical value as itsignificantly cuts down the discomfort and delays associated withstandard shoe searches," said Nissim Ben-Ezra, security technologiesmanager for Israel’s Airports Authority.
But he said MagShoe must be used in conjunction with otherprecautions, especially as it would not spot hidden explosives — amajor concern after the botched 2001 "shoe bombing" by al Qaedasympathizer Richard Reid aboard a Paris-Miami flight.
A bomb-sniffing version of the suitcase-sized MagShoe is in theworks, an Israeli security source said. The current version, producedby Israeli firm Ido Security Ltd., costs about $5,000.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is assessingMagShoe’s feasibility for American airports and several other countrieshave expressed an interest, the Israeli source said.
(Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Louise Ireland)
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