A Dutch journalist transported as much as six liters of liquid on commercial flights from Amsterdam to the United States, a stunt he says proves security loopholes remain at international airports even after the Dec. 25 terrorist attempt, he told The Detroit News on Sunday.

In Sunday night's broadcast of a Dutch television program, "Undercover in Nederland," reporter Alberto Stegeman demonstrated how he and two associates smuggled bottles of water from Schiphol International Airport to London's Heathrow International Airport and onto Dulles International Airport in Washington.

The bottles could have held liquid explosives, yet he managed to get them aboard easily, he said.

"It is still possible to bring a bomb on the airplane into the United States from Schiphol," Stegeman said in a phone interview.

The episode aired Sunday at 9:30 p.m. in the Netherlands, which is 3:30 p.m. Detroit time.

On Dec. 25, accused Nigerian terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to detonate a liquid explosive aboard Delta Flight 253 as it was landing at Detroit Metro Airport. Within days, new security measures were implemented at international airports, including pat-downs of passengers and manual checks of carry-on items. The plane originated in Amsterdam.

On Feb. 16, Stegeman's team boarded a British Midland Airways Limited plane at Schiphol with six Bacardi Rum bottles that were bought a week prior at the duty-free shop, taken home, emptied and refilled with water. The day of the flight, the three posed as if they were buying the bottles anew at the shop. The cashier sealed them, marked them with their ticket and flight date, and returned them back. At Heathrow, the group transferred to United Airlines 925.

At security checkpoints in both Schiphol and Heathrow, the bottles didn't raise suspicion, Stegeman said.

In the broadcast, Dutch and European politicians told of Stegeman's stunt demanded security changes. Charlie Hobart, spokesman for United Airlines, said in a written statement: "Safety remains, and has always been, a top priority for our airline."

He added, "Airlines do not oversee security at airports," referring questions to security authorities as the Amsterdam and London airports.

Jim Fotenos, spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, said that his agency does not conduct security screening at foreign airports. "However, we work closely with our international partners on issues of aviation security," he said. "Airports with direct flights to the United States must ensure they meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) security standards." Metro Airport spokesman Mike Conway declined comment.

In 2008, Stegeman smuggled a fake bomb and drugs onto airliners at Amsterdam's airport with the help of an associate who had secured a job as a baggage handler. The two were able to take drugs into flight cabins and other areas of planes, Reuters reported.

In 2007, Schiphol began using new body-scanning machines at security checkpoints to find metals and explosives hidden under clothing by using harmless radio waves to display head-to-toe images of passengers, as well as staff, Reuters reported.

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