Russia opposes air marshal plan
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A U.S. air marshal reacts during a simulated hijack attempt
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MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) -- A senior government official says Russia opposes U.S. plans to put armed guards on passenger flights having tried using them with disastrous results, RIA news agency reported.
"Putting armed guards on passenger flights can be more negative than positive," it quoted acting Deputy Transport Minister Gennady Moshkov as saying Wednesday.
The U.S. government has ordered foreign airlines to put "air marshals" on selected flights to and from the United States as a precaution against a repeat of the suicide hijack attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, which killed nearly 3,000 people.
"Our aviation security department has prepared a letter of objections on this for the United States," Moshkov said.
He said the Soviet Union used to put armed guards on passenger planes during the 1970s. But when a Tu-104 airliner was hijacked, the guard fired his weapon and hit an explosive device, causing a catastrophe.
Moshkov did not specify which flight he was referring to, but according to data at www.airdisasters.co.uk, a bomb on an Aeroflot Tu-104A killed 81 people in May 1973.
He also said terrorists might see an armed guard as a means of getting hold of a weapon on the flight.
Some airlines such as Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa already use on-board plain clothes security, but others are against the U.S. plan. Earlier this year a European Union transport spokesman said most of the 15 member countries were not in favor of the U.S. demand.
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