[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。# m+ ]( H2 a9 G% b

; |% f9 ?3 c' D0 WCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US
' u) \% l( t2 G- l5 }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.
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: m" v4 j: R8 i- A: G/ \人在德国 社区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.
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% x5 q! U; i1 I3 Y) _& IReid, 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.rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de* g& b8 L1 k9 x9 g

3 d0 V$ i) m- [  oUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.% K3 f, y! g0 h8 E& W$ `
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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.rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de: ?0 j. h- |2 s8 q% V# m+ a
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.5 |) R6 Q/ l' J5 r& c  l
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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.. N# O8 D4 c2 h8 l$ U

$ G& W0 l" M$ q  Y# t! A$ m"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de+ H' [5 J' [* U: a* d$ S; z  Q
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The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.
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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.