By Aditi KhannaLondon, Oct 29 (PTI) Britain's Heathrow Airport todaylaunched an urgent inquiry after secret security informationwas discovered in files on a memory stick found abandoned on astreet.
The documents outline routes and safeguards for QueenElizabeth II, foreign dignitaries and top politicians usingBritain's busiest airport.
The USB drive also includes maps showing where CCTVcameras are located, and the escape route for the HeathrowExpress railway serving the airport.
The memory stick was found by a man on Ilbert Street inLondon, around 10 miles from Heathrow, and he took the deviceto his local library days later to study the contents.
Other files, all unencrypted, describe the ultrasounddetection system for protecting the perimeter fence and therunways, and detail the ID requirements for accessing everyarea of the airport.
He handed over the USB stick, containing at least 174documents, to the 'Sunday Mirror' newspaper which informedScotland Yard and airport intelligence chiefs.
"I was curious about what it contained so a few dayslater, when I went back to the library, I plugged it into thecomputer. All these files were there. I couldnÂ’t believe it,"the unnamed man told the newspaper.
Metropolitan Police detectives are now liaising withairport chiefs to work out how the USB drive, with a massive2.5 GB of data, ended up in the street.
"We have also launched an internal investigation tounderstand how this happened and are taking steps to prevent asimilar occurrence in future," Heathrow Airport said in astatement.
Heathrow, one of the world's largest airports, said thesafety and security of passengers was a "top priority".
It added: "The UK and Heathrow have some of the mostrobust aviationsecurity measures in the world and we remainvigilant to evolving threats by updating our procedures on adaily basis.
"We have reviewed all of our security plans and areconfident that Heathrow remains secure."Given the location of the find close to Heathrow, it isbelieved that an airport worker had accessed the data andinadvertently lost the USB drive.
However, with the UK still on a "severe" terror threatlevel in the wake of a series of attacks this year, the latestrevelations will cause serious concern for security officials.
PTI AKZH.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.
