[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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5 N' d, L& r/ G* b, o9 x" Ors238848.rs.hosteurope.deCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US
# m0 o- X; o* e' _8 ~1 LUS 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.) ?- l! z5 h9 E  `
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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.8 q% A6 `: `1 x# ]4 P1 K9 U
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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.
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US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.
  [# Y: f1 h0 B! s( y4 A( }' ^人在德国 社区! O: h% B$ E6 o; ~& Q
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.2 M7 c2 O; `) a. h  e
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.
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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.人在德国 社区; d& j0 J, K, q, X# }# Q

- p1 e  I! q  @"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."
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2 o- x' p# h; NThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.
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; w. l% X% k# x% dThe 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.