UPS air cargo blocked by Britain over security concerns

UPS air cargo blocked by Britain over security concerns

Fake bomb was found on UPS flight in March while printer cartridge bomb was discovered on one of firm’s planes in 2010

Adam Gabbatt
guardian.co.uk

Packages being removed from a UPS container at East Midlands airport after suspected bomb was found

The Department for Transport has barred the delivery firm UPS from moving air cargo through sites in the UK due to “security requirements”.

A spokeswoman would not reveal which sites had been restricted and why the move had been taken. Asked if it was due to an explosive device, she said the DfT would not “give details of security arrangements”.

In March, an investigation was launched after a fake bomb was placed on a UPS flight to Istanbul. The Metropolitan police arrested a 26-year-old man, but said the incident was not terrorist related. The suspicious device travelled to Turkey from the UK without being detected.

In October 2010, a printer cartridge bomb was found on a UPS cargo plane at East Midlands airport, triggering new security measures in the UK, implemented from November.

The UPS plane was bound for Chicago, and an alarm clock on a mobile phone attached to the device was set to go off at 10.30am BST – when the plane would have been over the eastern seaboard of the US.

“The safety of the travelling public is paramount and our security regime is kept under constant review,” the DfT spokeswoman said.

“We can confirm that, following careful consideration, the department has restricted the number of sites in the UK at which UPS Ltd are permitted to screen air cargo until it has satisfied current security requirements.”

She added: “For obvious security reasons we will not comment on the details.”

UPS was not immediately available for comment.

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