[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。4 R( U7 K' J8 F% x9 `
+ g4 ^. E" b2 q' b' R7 F
Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US
  s  d7 u! G# U% Y( L& Trs238848.rs.hosteurope.deUS 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./ s# D3 Q) \& d& s% [

/ J& Y5 \8 ?5 {: e. _6 t+ r& s! {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.# t) H) i" j$ t+ B
0 G$ ^! H) R% z# ]/ f/ Y
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.人在德国 社区- J3 Q( {4 E& O% q+ z& ?( ~- z

6 U9 n& ^+ s0 z4 k1 l6 }US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.3 l. J3 X1 G. E2 C, W5 _

. M9 B. g. ], ]3 W) ?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.
& N2 A- \8 o% Y/ J* k5 P; Y1 [Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.
, H3 L  y2 Z- p; w0 l/ c人在德国 社区% i: ]9 `+ P( w9 l: U# r3 y
"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.
: h/ U) v7 |: }9 v- v( ~rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de
: f4 q4 j5 {' J; E"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de9 p5 j6 |8 d; w+ c; k, H* ^

0 k( j! e* }: V" z; U2 A# Z" LThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.% w9 Z6 _0 G9 w0 J
2 F& X% S" I; q3 t: ?, y( C
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.