AA had been warned about shoe bombs

The US government warned its airlines to be on the lookout for terrorists hiding weapons in their shoes just two weeks before Richard Reid attempted to detonate a homemade explosive device on a Paris to Boston flight last December.

Reid was overpowered by his fellow passengers when he tried to light the fuses hanging from the backs of his trainers, both of which were packed with plastic explosives.

It emerged this week that after Reid had been tied to his seat, his shoes were removed and taken to the cockpit for closer examination - the last place they would have been taken had the crew been properly informed of the potential threat.

Since September 11th, the US government has made billions of dollars available to improve security both at airport and on board aircraft, but this incident has highlighted the failure of different agencies to share information.

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