The Latest: US adds air security 'enhancements' after crash

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt: The latest on the crash of a Russian plane in Egypt that killed all 224 people onboard last Saturday:

The U.S. Homeland Security Department has announced a series of new security efforts aimed at international airports in the wake of the crash of a Russian jetliner over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said Friday the newest security efforts will focus on commercial flights bound for the United States from certain overseas airports in the region. He did not say which airports will be affected.

The new security procedures will include expanded security screening of items put on commercial jets, airport assessments and offers of security assistance for certain airports.

Russian carrier Metrojet’s Airbus A321-200 crashed shortly after takeoff from the Sharm el-Sheikh airport in Egypt on Saturday, killing all 224 people on board. There are no direct flights from that airport to the U.S.

U.S. and British officials think the plane may have been blown up by a bomb and Britain has grounded all British flights to and from the Sinai Peninsula. On Friday, Russia also announced that it will suspend all flights to Egypt until security is improved at its airports.

In France

France 2 TV is reporting that “the sound of an explosion can be distinctly heard during the flight” according to “an investigator who had access to the black box” of the Metrojet plane that crashed in the Sinai.

France’s BEA accident investigation agency said it could not confirm the report. The agency has experts now in Egypt investigating the crash because the Metrojet Airbus A321-200 was made in France.

U.S. and British officials think the plane that crashed Saturday, killing all 224 people aboard, may have been blown up by a bomb.

In Egypt

A retired senior official in Egypt’s Tourism Ministry says “airport security procedures in Egypt are almost (all) bad.”

Magdy Salim tells The Associated Press that the crash of a Russian airliner in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people onboard, may be a deadly blow to the country’s battered tourism sector, which has yet to fully recover after years of political turmoil.

Salim says he understands why people are scared — that’s because security measures in Egypt are lax.

He says airport guards regularly skip security checks for friends or co-workers. He says they often don’t search people “if they look chic or if they come out of a fancy car.”

He noted that a donkey was found wandering around Cairo airport in April. In recent weeks, a stray dog wandered onto a runway and security forces were called in to catch a rogue cat ahead of an inspection by international regulators.

Stuck in hotels

In the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, frustrated tourists are bemoaning conflicting information not only about when they can leave — but also about how to pack.

British businessman James Farrar, who is stuck in a hotel with his partner, says: “We haven’t been given information about how we should repack our stuff. We hear there are restrictions on what we can take in your hand luggage as well.”

Hundreds of British tourists at the resort had been promised flights home Friday, though only a minority of the flights managed to take off and passengers were only allowed to carry hand luggage onboard.

Farrar said the prospect of being separated for days from most of his belongings was “disconcerting.” He said many tourists had little faith in the increased airport security measures after reports surfaced that some managed to jump the queues by bribing security guards.

Security has been tightened because U.S. and British officials fear a bomb might have blown up a Metrojet flight in midair Saturday, killing all 224 people onboard.

AP