The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed restrictions on carry-on electronic devices on planes coming to the U.S. from 10 airports in Muslim-majority countries in West Asia and North Africa in response to unspecified terrorism threats.
The Department of Homeland Security said passengers travelling from those airports could not bring devices larger than a cellphone, such as tablets, portable DVD players, laptops and cameras, into the main cabin. Instead, they must be in checked baggage.
Smuggling of explosives
The new restrictions were prompted by reports that militant groups want to smuggle explosive devices in electronic gadgets, officials told reporters on a conference call on Monday.
The airports are in Cairo; Istanbul; Kuwait City; Doha, Qatar; Casablanca, Morocco; Amman, Jordan; Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates.
Officials said the decision had nothing to do with President Donald Trump’s efforts to impose a travel ban on six majority-Muslim nations. A DHS spokeswoman said the government “did not target specific nations. We relied upon evaluated intelligence to determine which airports were affected”.
The airports affected by the electronics rules are served by nine airlines that fly directly from those cities to the U.S. about 50 times a day, senior government officials said.
The carriers — Royal Jordanian Airlines, Egypt Air, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Airways — have until Friday to comply with the new policy, which took effect early on Tuesday and will be in place indefinitely.
However, an Emirates spokeswoman who confirmed the Dubai-based airline was affected by the restrictions said the new security directive would last until Oct. 14.
The policy does not affect any American carriers because none fly directly to the U.S. from the airports, officials said.
Officials did not explain why the restrictions only apply to travellers arriving in the United States and not for those same flights when they leave the United States.
The rules do apply to U.S. citizens travelling on those flights, but not to crew members on those foreign carriers. Homeland Security will allow passengers to use larger approved medical devices. The agency said the procedures would “remain in place until the threat changes” and did not rule out expanding them to other airports.
U.K. to follow suit
U.S. officials have told Reuters that the information gleaned from a U.S. commando raid in January in Yemen that targeted al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula included bomb-making techniques.
Later on Tuesday, British media reported that the U.K. was set to follow the U.S. in imposing a similar ban. A Transport Ministry spokesman also said Britain’s plans were due to be updated later in the day.
