[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。人在德国 社区2 P* ]5 |4 s. k  }( ~7 ?
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Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US
% e. A6 r- r: Y+ D" cUS 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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4 B2 j. t& m  _* }0 |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.: |8 t8 W* u3 G( D! _

. ?; Q/ @( i4 JReid, 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.+ }6 O% N4 `: P3 y4 _3 B: X

; a1 z- @  b' O% c8 m" v7 tUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.0 P; n8 d& B6 |6 S0 K' \
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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.
5 y1 q& a" j' d+ O. Y; S人在德国 社区Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.; H, k* ]( y+ K$ |& m; D2 n. R

! }/ `& U; D+ `9 `# p$ U"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.0 w" K8 b+ c( [* w

4 G' X- \" r' s"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."
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6 I; L" h; s8 z  xThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.人在德国 社区2 M+ M" T3 A7 S5 n

' U: J3 j$ m( N) v# R3 P" x人在德国 社区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.