[国际新闻] 美国撤除禁令8月起可带打火机上飞机

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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 ^) D) f* r5 l/ B) N

! s* l' F' P! w" U1 u0 H+ J. Nrs238848.rs.hosteurope.deCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US( r+ |7 _) h& n4 S; v5 w
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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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.de$ x7 J# R- D! L9 Z9 t
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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.人在德国 社区% s$ j( ]- _, t  W  L$ M

- z  S% d/ o2 _( p, kUS 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.$ V$ h1 `6 W: t* v
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.! q- G( ?- x& o, j$ G' H

* d+ |) _0 I8 W) ^"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 n" U  ?% _; p"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."
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; d. O% e/ h3 `$ `7 t; Z* hThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de, k8 u* ~& R- Q! q) `+ E1 _
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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.