Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The U.S. government extended its air cargo security measures Monday while the European Union decided to set up a task force to protect against the risk of bombs sent through airlines.

New security measures at airports worldwide are taking effect after the discovery last week of two time bombs sent from Yemen to synagogues in Chicago. They were set to detonate in mid-air.

The bombs from Yemen were followed within days by several bombs sent by air cargo from Greece to embassies and political leaders.

All of them were intercepted, but not before they sparked enough outrage to prompt an international backlash.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department extended its ban Monday on all air cargo to include Somalia. The ban started last week with airports in Yemen.

“The threats of terrorism we face are serious and evolving, and these security measures reflect our commitment to using current intelligence to stay ahead of adversaries,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement.

The extended ban also forbids high-risk cargo from being loaded onto passenger aircraft.

The first high-risk cargo banned from airlines is computer toner and ink cartridges that weigh more than 16 ounces.

The bombs sent from Yemen were hidden inside computer printer cartridges. Al-Qaeda later claimed responsibility for the bombing attempt.

Yemen’s transport minister, Khalid Ibrahim al-Wazir, said the international bans on cargo from his country were unfair because the al-Qaeda bombs were designed to pass through the kinds of cargo inspections used at airports worldwide.

He also said customs inspectors would now open and inspect 100 percent of the packages and mail sent by air from Yemen.

The bombs were intercepted by British police before the airplane carrying them started the final leg of its flight to Chicago.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department still is formulating its list of other high-risk cargo that is banned from passenger airplanes.

High-risk items still can be sent in cargo planes but they first must undergo enhanced screening.

Napolitano said the additional screening might slow delivery of some packages sent internationally.

The United States joins Canada, Germany, Britain and France in banning all cargo from Yemen.

In Brussels, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere called for the European Union to blacklist airports with inadequate security to protect against cargo that is not properly screened.

If other ministers agree, it would be the first time the 27-nation European Union has blacklisted foreign airports.

“National measures are not very effective,” de Maiziere said. “If this is going to be more expensive, then it might be a little more expensive, there is no security for free.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was one of the political leaders who was mailed a bomb from Greece by air cargo.

Other than Yemen, European Union ministers were unable to agree Monday on which airports should be blacklisted.

Instead, they decided to study the issue more extensively by assigning a task force to develop recommendations.

The task force also is supposed to figure out a strategy for sharing information between countries to alert them to possible threats.

In South Korea, the government raised its airport security threat level to red – the highest category – on Monday ahead of the G20 Summit in Seoul this week.

The red alert was issued for five international airports.

Airport customs inspectors have been ordered to open and search all cargo from 20 countries suspected of sponsoring terrorism during the red alert.

South Korean customs officials also plan to require air cargo companies to disclose the identities of their customers sending and receiving packages.

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