Russian plane crash: Fake bomb detectors allegedly being used in Sharm el-Sheikh hotels

Bomb detectors being used by hotel security staff at Sharm el-Sheikh are believed to be fakes. Pictures of the devices have emerged, which experts claim would do nothing to detect the presence of explosives in passengers' luggage.

Ex-Parachute Regiment soldier and global security adviser Paul Biddiss told the Mirror: "If they are what they appear then these so-called scanners are absolute rubbish, as much use as a chocolate fireguard."

Thousands of Britons remain stranded in the Red Sea resort, with regular flights suspended and increased security measures introduced after a Russian passenger jet crashed in the Sinai peninsula on 31 October, killing all 224 people on board.

Western officials believe the plane was most likely brought down by a terrorists bomb stowed into the hold. On 9 November, the Telegraph reported that security officials in Egypt were interrogating hotel staff to investigate claims the bomb may have been planted in the luggage of one of the passengers of the Russian plane.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said it would continue to "raise our concerns" over the use of the fake devices. "Across the resort, airport style scanners, sniffer dogs, body searches, metal detectors, private security, police and CCTV are being used to keep tourists safe," a spokesperson said. "We will continue to raise our concerns over the use of the devices in question. While we have updated our advice on travelling to Sharm el-Sheikh by air, we have not changed the threat level for the resort."