Shock at x-ray scanner images

An x-ray scanner that leaves passengers looking “fat and naked” has been used at Heathrow airport for the first time. The device, which was this weekend installed at the airport’s Terminal 4, produces a naked image of passengers, allowing security staff to spot hidden weapons. But, according to The Times, the graphic images it displays have caused concern among travellers. The newspaper reports that authorities in the United States are refusing to use the machine until it is fitted with “virtual fig leaves” to protect passengers’ modesty. The Times interviewed several passengers who were asked, at random, to use the new device – which it describes as resembling a “tall, grey filing cabinet”. One male passenger said: “I was quite shocked by what I saw. I felt a bit embarrassed looking at the image.” A female passenger reportedly said: “It was really horrible. It doesn’t leave much to the imagination because you are virtually naked, but I guess it’s better than being hand-searched.” Anyone who refuses to use the new machine is hand-searched. In trials last year, Susan Hallowell, of the US Transportation Security Administration, said: “It basically makes you look fat and naked but you see all this stuff,” referring to a gun and fake bomb she had hidden under her clothes. Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd