Sen. Charles Schumer of New York says the Department of Homeland Security must work faster to begin testing explosive detectors that can sense compounds that have been used in recent extremist attacks.
Otto Gregory, a chemical engineer at the University of Rhode Island, developed the electronic trace detection system to sense vapor from explosives, including the bomb-making material TATP.
The government has funded the project for the last eight years, and Gregory says Homeland Security plans to field test the system this fall.
But Schumer says the agency should begin testing sooner and determine if the devices can be installed in airports and train stations.
TATP was used by Islamic State extremists in the Nov. 13 Paris attacks and was found in an apartment where the Brussels attackers had stayed.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.