The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said there is reason to be concerned about attempts by terrorist groups trying to get around security, hence the new ban. As of Tuesday morning, some of the airlines affected by the ban, such as Saudi Airlines, had sent out messages to passengers about prohibited items.
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Hours after it first tweeted the information, however, the tweet was deleted.
According to reports, the ban is part of a preventive measure as the United States authorities have been concerned about terrorists taking down the plane using explosives smuggled in the battery compartment electronic devices.
Homeland security did not provide an end date for the restrictions, saying only that they will “remain in place until the threat changes”. USA airlines aren’t impacted because they don’t fly directly in or out of the cities, officials said.
The 10 worldwide airports covered by the ban are in Cairo, Egypt; Dubai and Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.; Istanbul; Doha, Qatar; Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City; Casablanca, Morocco; and Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The statement said that “following instructions from the concerned United States departments”, the airline would be banning any electronic device in flight cabins except for “cellular telephones and medical devices”.
But it’s not known which countries or airlines the directive will apply to, or how the ban will be enforced.
The ban would require passengers on such flights to put all laptop computers, electronic tablets and other devices larger than a smartphone into luggage checked into the cargo compartment.
In an unexpected development, United States authorities are planning to ban passengers travelling on certain US-bound flights from carrying electronic gadgets into the cabin.
An official for the USA government said the policy has been mulled over for several weeks, according to The Associated Press.
It’s a particular concern at these airports because of screening issues and the possibility of terrorists infiltrating authorized airport personnel, the official said.
Flight and cabin crews are not covered by the new restrictions.
The DHS cites the attempted downing of Daallo Airlines Flight 159 in February of a year ago in which a terrorist managed to sneak a “sophisticated laptop bomb” past X-ray scanners in Somalia as an example of the threat the directive is attempting to counteract. The aircraft landed safely. Saudia and Royal Jordanian airlines are among those affected, but the full list has not yet been released.
Are you impacted by the electronics ban?
Experts suggest intelligence agencies must know of a plot in the works.
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What happened in Somali plane bomb? While nothing has been confirmed by the TSA or DHS, an official announcement is likely to come Tuesday. Spicer explained that Trump’s golf games are different than former President Barack Obama’s – which Trump repeatedly criticized – because of how Trump manages to “use the game of golf” to “help US interests”. A number of top Arab officials were expected to attend the State Department gathering.
