Terror police use body scanner

A hi-tech device that can detect suicide bombers was used on the streets of London during President Bush's visit last month.

Scotland Yard has commissioned the detector which can spot the components of a bomb even when it is hidden under clothing. Police officers posing as tourists can use it to scan large numbers of people to identify potential suicide attackers.

Only one scanner is in operation so far but is has been so successful that the Home Office has been told of its effectiveness.

Now police believe it could prove to be the first really effective device against suicide bombers and that it could have an international market, particularly in Israel, India and Pakistan.

The equipment can be carried in a backpack containing a camera which detects millimetre wave radiation.

A person would normally show up as a dull grey image. However should that person have hard objects under their clothes, such as explosives or other bomb components, they would show up as a bright white image.