[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。* u9 i" E5 [0 t( l2 \
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Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US- E0 A0 I9 x7 n( ~
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( g0 t4 z7 C$ Z# D
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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.人在德国 社区: I1 Y3 N7 W4 q1 R
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Reid, 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.
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US 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.% w2 F2 K0 x" B3 S  b& k4 |- f. j  @
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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7 l' V4 }8 w5 L+ y+ R"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de7 ~! x2 o7 z+ X; Y' z! v$ Q% N9 O

- o$ _/ n1 u# ?/ L$ L% B& [: \" B0 e0 OThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.% M4 J" R' P7 ]& {1 M/ Q2 \- a
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The 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.