[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。
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" w0 a- b, G# F* i# |Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US, v7 T: {; h' b" C: N0 {% o3 ^
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./ F# x' g: r- E5 A1 g" {
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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.
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* v. W3 ^/ s- j9 W! A( }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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6 `8 ^% n  E* i( T, C8 j* }+ }人在德国 社区US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.6 }" _: u7 V. e1 L9 R+ G( p4 m

/ N8 p" B( _5 T$ I" W: r2 gUS 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.
# }- R) R! Z2 P4 i9 kMr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.* A( }, o) B% k9 u: j9 q6 S9 `# X
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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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"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."7 |' B) b$ V( H! [1 q# j8 T1 ~0 g
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The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.0 l+ ^/ [1 C0 V2 @
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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.