[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。4 i( B3 J0 P9 ?+ _; ]0 m3 d4 _6 a( s
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Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US5.35.249.64' E1 \, E7 J" L4 e
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.人在德国 社区, {( o2 }/ l) {: C

9 j( z6 `# ^6 {5 d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.
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; ?+ _1 x8 k* H! x5.35.249.64US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.
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, r, I. m! y: I% Y; b. t5 IUS 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.$ \; X$ A2 E6 ]) T9 H5 I; s1 P
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.- W  h- l+ O( B" w. I9 U

* N* L3 ?0 i; ^8 A; `+ I1 U! t"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."5.35.249.64( i2 I+ z- ?: y: |3 v, l
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The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.3 l% H  H" k; q- F9 O7 A
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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.