The Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a US airliner on Christmas Day has provided "useful, actionable" intelligence to US authorities.

US President Barack Obama is "not patient" and is demanding immediate changes in airline security, the top US military officer said on Wednesday.

The introduction of body scanners at UK airports threatens to breach child protection laws which ban the creation of indecent images of children.

Airports in South Africa will not be equipped with full-body scanners in the near future, the Airports Company of SA (Acsa) said on Monday.

Air travellers from Nigeria, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and nine other countries will face full-body pat downs.

The ease with which the plane bomber could operate exposes the vacuity and recklessness at the heart of the US response to 9/11

Abdulmutallab remained a humble, if solitary young man who shunned material possessions and craved knowledge.

US intelligence chief Admiral Dennis Blair faced tough questions about his future on Wednesday as the Obama administration fended off criticism.

Imposing more restrictions won’t make air travel safer. Only correct use of intelligence and a targeted approach can work.

A wing of al-Qaeda claimed responsibility on Monday for a failed Christmas Day attack on a United States-bound passenger plane.

President Barack Obama, on vacation in Hawaii, is under pressure from opposition Republicans who have been critical of his response to the scare.

The explosive that nearly brought down Northwest Airlines flight 253 is powerful, allowing terrorists to use only small quantities to cause damage.

Passengers on Saturday told of the moment when Umar Abdul Mutallab tried to set off a bomb as their plane commenced its descent on Christmas Day.

A Nigerian man with possible links to al-Qaeda militants was in custody on Saturday after he tried to ignite an explosive device on a US plane.