Travellers to Europe face having to undergo such scans under security measures expected to be announced by France's Interior Ministry Travellers to Europe face being treated like drug smugglers as security chiefs are expected to recommend new intrusive security measures.
French anti-terror chiefs are expected to propose the new measures, such as full body X-rays or handing in all electronic devices, after a terrorist tried to kill a Saudi prince with a bomb he had inserted into his body.
Al Qaeda's latest ploy was first pioneered by Abdullah Hassan al Asiri, who blew himself apart in Jeddah in late August in an attack on Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the Saudi anti-terrorism chief.
The 23-year-old terrorist blew himself into 70 pieces when he detonated the bomb - inserted into his rectum - with a mobile phone.
His body was said to have absorbed some of the impact of the explosion, however, leaving the prince only slightly injured.
However experts claimed such a blast would be catastrophic in the pressurised atmosphere of a passenger jet.
Now President Nicolas Sarkozy's new domestic intelligence directorate (DCRI) is considering draconian measures, police commanders told Le Figaro newspaper.
But some in the government are already slamming measures that would leave passengers being treated as drug smugglers.
'It is unthinkable when you think about the frequency with which some people fly,' a senior Interior Ministry official told Le Figaro. 'The health risks would be too high.'
The 'bum bombs' - or, in American terms, 'keister bombs' - could have a catastrophic result on an aircraft, especially if it were removed from the bomber's body, Scott Stewart of Stratfor, a Texas-based global intelligence firm, told the Times.
Because the human body absorbs much of the impact, however, a certain amount of explosive would be needed.
The devices could also be used in targeted attacks - such as the failed assasination attempt on the Saudi prince.
Al Qaeda has promised to put instructions to create such a bomb on the internet.
Source: Mail Online
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