WASHINGTON ~ US officials have announced plans to tighten screening of air passengers against terrorist watch-lists, as part of continued efforts to increase security in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

The Department of Homeland Security said it would now start collecting manifest information for international flights leaving from and arriving in the United States prior to boarding, rather than once the flight has taken off.

In addition, the department would take over screening of domestic passengers currently vetted by the airlines themselves. The changes were recommendations of an official commission of inquiry into the September 11, 2001, attacks, in which Al Qaeda operatives hijacked four US airlines and forced them to crash.