Switzerland to enhance security on U.S.-bound flights

GENEVA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Swiss aviation authority is preparing to enforce stricter security measures requested by the United States against travelers from 14 countries, the official Swissinfo news website reported on Monday.

The measures involve extra rigorous checks of U.S.-bound passengers originating from countries the U.S. government regards as "state sponsors of terrorism" and other "countries of interest," according to the report.

The 14 countries include Nigeria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Somalia.

The U.S. government has demanded the passengers undergo full-body pat downs, searches of carry-on luggage and advanced body-imaging scans. Some of these measures are expected to be in place from Tuesday in Geneva and Zurich airports, Swissinfo.ch said.

The measures came into force in the United States on Monday. It followed a failed attempt by a Nigerian, believed to have been trained by the al-Qaida terrorist group, to blow up an aircraft over Detroit on Christmas Day.