Zurich airport steps up security at US request
Passengers flying to the United States from Zurich airport have to submit to further security checks.
The move is in response to an incident at the weekend, in which a man smuggled explosives on to an American Airlines plane and attempted to detonate them when the aircraft was in flight.
Zurich airport announced that, as of Tuesday, all US-bound passengers would have to remove their shoes and have them x-rayed before being admitted to the boarding area.
On Saturday, a man on a flight from Paris to Miami attempted to ignite explosives hidden in his shoes. Crew members and passengers managed to overpower him before he could do so.
He has since been identified by the FBI as Richard Reid, 33, and is said to be a British citizen of Sri Lankan origin.
Zurich airport is instituting the procedure at the request of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Geneva airport is not affected because it has no direct flights to the US.
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