Emergency declared at Islamabad airport

The Pakistani authorities have stepped up security at the international airport in the capital, Islamabad.

The move follows intelligence reports suggesting that a suicide bomber was about to target the airport.

Flights are continuing as normal, although some airport complexes were closed for a time.

The mood in Islamabad has been jittery all week after Saturday's huge bombing which devastated the Marriott Hotel in the city, killing more than 50 people.

Reviews

There have been reports that more suicide bombs have been smuggled into the city in trucks or cars.

The BBC's Chris Morris in Islamabad says officials are taking a bomb threat against the airport seriously.

Planes are still landing and taking off but security measures have been stepped up and some offices in the airport complex were closed temporarily.

British Airways has already suspended its flights to Islamabad indefinitely and foreign companies and diplomatic missions in Pakistan are conducting urgent reviews of security.

The United States has now prohibited all American government personnel from staying at or visiting major hotels in Islamabad, Karachi and Peshawar.

And both the US embassy and the British high commission have temporarily suspended their visa application services.

The Civil Aviation Authority has declared a state of emergency at the Islambad airport after receiving word from  intelligence agencies that a suicide attacker may target the airport, Dawn News has reported.

According to airport officials, all flights have been temporary suspended and all roads leading to the Benazir Bhutto International Airport have been sealed.

Passenger lounges and car parking lots have been evacuated according to eye witnesses present at the airport. All parked planes have also been moved to an isolated bay.