US: Security Beefed Up at Los Angeles Int'l Airport
Xinhua | Jun. 02, 2007
A foiled plot to blow up New York's Kennedy International Airport prompted authorities to beef up security at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on June 2.
"We have enhanced our security measures based upon established protocol," said airport police Lt. Curtis Thompson. "There is no specific threat here or at any (airport) facilities."
"All airline operations are normal," said an airport statement.
Passengers flying through LAX need not be concerned about unusual delays, Thompson said. "Our airport operations have not been impacted at all," he said.
Although no threats had been reported against LAX, as a precaution, security was increased, especially in the area of the airport's "fuel farm" where jet fuel is stored, CBS2 reported.
Four men, including a former cargo worker at New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport and a former member of the Guyana parliament, have been charged with plotting to blow up airport buildings, fuel tanks and pipelines at the New York airport, according to news reports.
Three of the men were arrested while a fourth, believed to be in Trinidad, was still at large. Authorities said the plot was foiled while still in the planning stage and that the suspects never acquired explosives.
The men were under surveillance for more than a year and had been infiltrated by an informer.
Some of the men are U.S. citizens. They were not believed to have ties to al-Qaida or any other known terrorist groups.