UK set to follow US with electronics ban on Middle Eastern flights
The United Kingdom is reportedly expected to follow the U.S. in imposing a ban on electronic devices on flights from some Middle Eastern countries.
The list of prohibited in-cabin items will include laptops, tablets and other portable devices, Sky News reported on Tuesday. According to the news source, the restriction will not apply to cellphones.
The expected announcement follows the U.S. move to temporarily ban electronics on flights from 13 countries for the next 96 hours.
The U.S. ban applies to flight from Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Dubai, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Doha, Istanbul and Kuwait.
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“The U.S. government is concerned about terrorists’ ongoing interest in targeting commercial aviation, including transportation hubs over the past two years, as evidenced by the 2015 airliner downing in Egypt; the 2016 attempted airliner downing in Somalia; and the 2016 armed attacks against airports in Brussels and Istanbul,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
“Evaluated intelligence indicates that terrorist groups continue to target commercial aviation, to include smuggling explosive devices in various consumer items.”
Security sources told Sky News that the U.K. ban is a response to an ongoing threat to aviation and not to a specific new intelligence threat.
It is unclear how closely the U.K. ban will mirror the U.S. version.
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