Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – President Barack Obama said this weekend that he understands people’s frustrations over new airport security measures, but the screenings are needed to adapt to growing terror threats.

The Transportation Security Administration is now subjecting passengers to either thorough frisking, or “pat-downs,” or going through scanning machines that emit low levels of radiation and reveal what people look for under their clothes.

The new procedures have caused a backlash among many airline passengers in the United States that have complained about being groped by TSA agents. Opponents to the TSA rules also don’t like the alternative of being exposed to radiation.

But the president, who was at a NATO conference in Lisbon, Spain, said the rules are needed to stop attacks like the so-called “underwear bomber,” who smuggled explosives on a plane in his underwear last Christmas day. Passengers and flight attendants noticed smoke coming from the terrorist’s pants and restrained him before he could carry out the attack.

TSA officials say the new scanning machines and pat-down procedures are the only way to stop terrorists from hiding explosives and other weapons.

Obama told reporters that he understands why people don’t like the new rules, but he supports them.

“I will say that in the aftermath of the Christmas Day bombing, our TSA personnel are properly under enormous pressure to make sure that you don’t have someone slipping on a plane with some sort of explosive device on their persons,” Obama said.

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