Britain Bans Direct Flights to Yemen

The British government has announced that they will suspend all direct flights to Yemen in the wake of the Christmas Day bombing. The bomber, who reportedly joined up with a terrorist cell in the UK, was originally from the area. It is being reported that the country has a problem with terrorist cells forming up.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown gave a speech to parliament on Wednesday which asked that the country introduce no-fly lists as a means of prohibiting flights to Yemen, which is believed to be housing known al-Qaeda fighters.

He said to parliament that it was known for a fact that terrorist cells in Yemen had been making threats to the UK as well as other countries in Europe. The Christmas Day bombing was an insight into the growing terrorist cells in Yemen, and the prime minister told parliament that the warning should be heeded.

A Yemenia official commented to Reuters that the British government had formally requested that all flights from Yemen heading for the UK stopover in a third country for security checks prior to arrival. The new security measures come as a response to the 23 year old Nigerian that attempted to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight bound from the UK for Detroit. The man allegedly had ties to terrorist cells located in Yemen.

In other news, Britain has also cracked down on security at home. Most airports across the UK will now be receiving new full-body scanning technology, which will aid security officials in scanning for weapons as well as explosive residue on clothing.