This article is from the source 'rtcom' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.rt.com/news/344816-cologne-airport-security-alert/
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Flights halted at Cologne airport after security breach - reports | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Five outbound flights at Cologne-Bonn Airport have been delayed due to a security threat on Monday morning, German media report, citing police sources. | |
| A person is believed to have breached security and all aircraft have returned to the terminals as a safety precaution. | |
| According to the Focus Online publication, federal police say they are looking for a man who managed to pass through a door in the security area in Terminal 1 at around 11am local time. | |
| The terminal has been completely cleared and all people are being required to pass through security again. The security alarm has not affected aircraft looking to land at the terminal. | |
| Sniffer dogs are patrolling the terminal to check for any potential explosives, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reports, while the German Interior Ministry is investigating the issue. | |
| This latest incident will come as further embarrassment to the airport, after the transportation hub accidently published plans on the internet in April of how it would combat a possible terrorist emergency. | |
| The 230-page document gave a comprehensive plan for how to react in case of a whole range of emergencies, from natural disasters to kidnappings or terrorist attacks. The phone numbers and contact details of key security personnel were also published online. | |
| However, unbeknown to the authorities, their best-laid plans were available for any potential terrorists to see on the internet. The documents would also provide them with invaluable information such as potential escape routes. | |
| The mishap came months after a report by the German television station WDR, which revealed that Cologne-Bonn Airport’s security system failed to detect dangerous items in carry-on luggage. | |
| EU inspectors carried out tests at the airport in February and tried to smuggle weapons and bomb-making equipment through security. Alarmingly, these objects were only detected six out of 12 times by the security staff manning the x-ray machines. | |
| When the staff were given an advanced warning that dangerous items could be carried through security, the detection rate actually worsened, with nine out of 12 dangerous items managing to get through unnoticed. | |
| The revelations are likely to reignite a debate in Germany concerning who should be responsible for securing the country’s transport hubs, with more criticism being poured on the private sector. | |
| "Too much attention is paid to speed and reducing costs – and much too little to security," Police Union representative Ernst Walter told WDR. |