[国际新闻] 美国撤除禁令8月起可带打火机上飞机

日月光

美国政府决定从8月4日开始，停止施行已经两年，禁止乘客带普通打火机上飞机的政策。美国运输部认为，在乘客登机前搜索他们身上是否携带打火机，根本是浪费时间。 2001年当鞋子炸弹客芮德意图在从巴黎飞往迈阿密的班机上，用火柴引燃藏在鞋子里的炸弹後，美国政府在国会的坚持之下，终於宣布了禁带打火机上机的命令。) j* t6 A' v5 J3 x' M- W

0 Z- w0 h, a/ x0 M, a2 |Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US6 \! s0 b6 |. K3 j9 g. P1 R
US authorities will no longer enforce a two-year-old ban against taking cigarette lighters on planes because searching passengers wasted time and did not improve aviation security, the New York Times reports.人在德国 社区9 X  {- g' C, y9 ~2 j
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The ban on lighters was ordered by US lawmakers after a passenger, Richard Reid, tried to ignite a bomb in his shoe in 2001 on a flight from Paris to Miami.rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de7 @' R, x- ]! {- u4 _& x

) i  f; @' q. J5 N& vReid, known as the "shoe bomber", had used matches to try to ignite explosives concealed in his shoe and is currently serving a life sentence for trying to blow up the transatlantic flight.
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US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.9 ?+ s. ?: d) N$ S% G9 @

! a. m0 V% L$ k8 cUS Transport Security Administration assistant secretary Kip Hawley says the ban on lighters did not significantly enhance security because small batteries could be used to detonate a bomb.人在德国 社区2 ]8 u' e" z7 q% [/ I4 R# o8 t
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.
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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.
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" U/ V$ Y, E' H& ?% X- }' x人在德国 社区"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."
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The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de6 d5 N2 i3 d+ |& W# F1 o

, m: X  P6 Q1 V. g" S: NThe New York Times says some 22,000 lighters a day are collected by security officers at airports across the United States and disposing of the confiscated lighters has cost about $US4 million a year.