Qantas lifts security, bans duty-free items out of the Philippines to help fight against threat of Islamic State
QANTAS has increased security for some flights amid fears IS jihadists could return to Australia or carry out an airborne act of terror.
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EXCLUSIVE
Qantas has lifted security for its flights out of the Philippines, banning the purchase of liquids from airside duty free shops in capital Manila and conducting its own “last line” bag searches amid fears ISIS jihadists could try to use the direct route to return to Australia or carry out an airborne act of terror.
The move follows an insurgency into that country by foreign-led terrorists who since May 23 have occupied a major city in the country’s south leading to more than 550 deaths and the displacement of 200,000 people as the militants attempt to establish a new Islamic State front in South East Asia.
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Many of the estimated 50 foreign fighters involved in that conflict including from the Middle East and Malaysia, flew into the country to capture the city on regular commercial flights.
It also comes as News Corp can reveal Australian Border Force has been quietly dispatching officers to key air hubs all around the world, including Manila, to look at interdiction of those that pose a threat to national security and others such as Eastern European crime gangs and Outlaw Motor Cycle Groups (OMCG).
It is understood the deployment of the so-called Airport Liaison Officers dispatched on three month postings to physically scrutinise those persons boarding Australian bound flights and check travel documents and bonafides, have successfully turned away some suspects before they could board flights to Australia.
News Corp Australia has learned Australian intelligence agencies two months ago flagged concerns the risk of returning jihadists had increased exponentially since the commencement in May of direct flights to the Philippines from Turkey, the latter being the main exit point for jihadists from the battlefields of Iraq and Syria.
The agencies, ASIO and its overseas partner ASIS, highlighted the number of foreign jihadists particularly from Malaysia and Indonesia, including from the once defunct Jemaah Islamiah group behind the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings, that had already made their way to the Philippines to learn bomb and tactical skills to wage war on Western targets. Two suspects were shot dead by local police during a raid in Mindanao in southern Philippines in April.
It can be revealed detailed intelligence and images of known Australian terror suspects and foreign fighters for ISIS in the Middle East have been passed to the Philippines Bureau of Immigration.
Qantas, that had earlier this month conducted its own in-country security review, has begun performing its own mandatory airside searches of passengers’ carry-on bags adjacent to the Manila departure boarding gate — on top of the two standard mandatory x-ray luggage checks by local airport authorities — to boost its security net.
It has also banned the purchase of liquids including alcohol and perfume and bottles of water over 100ml purchased at airside duty free shops as an added precaution in case the supposed secure sale of liquids after security check-ins and immigration desks, were compromised.
This is on top of the usual 100ml liquid limits in hand luggage which has been around for a decade on all airlines and flights internationally.
Signs have been placed about the Manila airport advising Qantas and Royal Brunei and connecting flights to the US on United Airlines had banned duty free liquid purchases.
The move if spread to other inbound air hub flights to Australia could spell the death of the duty free alcohol industry, already tapered by the purchase ban imposed on most transit flights.
Qantas now classifies Manila as a risk air hub on par with inbound flights from Jakarta and Bali on the highest security level of caution for the airline.
A Qantas spokeswoman declined to comment directly but said safety of passengers and crew was paramount.
“For obvious reasons we don’t comment on security matters other than to say we work closely with government agencies and the intelligence community to make sure we have the right security measures in all the destinations we fly to,” she said.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, the security tsar of the newly announced Home Office super ministry, said: “The global security environment is increasingly complex — every day we’re seeing new and evolving threats from terrorists and organised crime groups who are intent on doing us harm. Airline Liason Officers are an important part of the Government’s multi-layered approach to national security. They provide on-the-spot assessments in overseas locations to stop passengers of concern from travelling to Australia.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) review of security in the country reissued last week reaffirmed the need to exercise a high degree of caution due to a high threat of a terror attack.
Its brief concluded: “Terrorist attacks, including bombings, are possible anytime, anywhere in the Philippines, including in Manila. We continue to receive information that indicates that terrorists may be planning attacks in the Philippines, with the southern Philippines particularly Mindanao most at risk.”
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