Terrorists ‘pushing limits’ to hit aviation sector: Rajnath

| | New Delhi
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Terrorists ‘pushing limits’ to hit aviation sector: Rajnath

Wednesday, 10 October 2018 | PNS | New Delhi

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said terrorists are pushing their "limits" and "underpants" to attack global civil aviation operations even as he recalled the 2009 "underwear bomber", who attempted to blow up an Amsterdam-Detroit flight mid-air.

Speaking at a seminar on aviation security, Singh reminded the top security brass that security of 40 small airports and heliports should be ensured and cannot be ignored. "The civil aviation sector is highly sensitive and high profile in nature. It also gets worldwide attention when hit by any attack. Often these incidents have geopolitical ramifications," he said after inaugurating a two-day seminar on 'international aviation security' here.              

"The case of the shoe bomber in 2001, the use of liquid explosives in London in 2006 and the case of the underwear bomber in Amsterdam in  2009, clearly indicate that terrorists are pushing the limits and even their underpants to hit the aviation sector," Singh said.

The minister also asked aviation security agencies in the country to undertake "perspective planning" to thwart possible terror-like threats to aviation facilities. Security agencies such as the CISF should undertake "untiring and sincere efforts to maintain fool-proof security" at airports, which are thronged by lakhs of travelers daily, Singh said.

The seminar is being organised by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), a federal force that guards 60 civil airports at present. It is being attended by delegates from 18 countries and several airlines.

Officials said here has been a talk of deploying CISF personnel at airports under the RCS or UDAN scheme, no "final decision" has been taken. These facilities continue to be guarded by state police forces, which are not as professional as the central force, in rendering aviation security duties, they said.

Singh said it was essential to innovate and think new to meet evolving threats to aviation security.

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