[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。人在德国 社区2 Z$ z0 y; d7 J5 |2 Z, X* s. {$ ^
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Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US
5 L5 k) \( @- u  s. K人在德国 社区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.
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* b( z2 o+ U+ n. L# W0 ]2 [人在德国 社区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.rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de3 B3 W2 j4 W  h% U
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US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.- _) O4 l: }) P1 u( k8 r! U

: y' r9 V$ t6 }1 E$ b; Z8 Y! ?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.
7 a$ |/ v" D0 @- ]2 Q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.rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de$ H0 S9 u4 t8 a" g, `0 O4 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."3 I0 Y1 B6 n5 r1 Y' B- o# e, r! t
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The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.% k6 s) l" [& J, a! V0 v9 M
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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.