Passengers flying into the United States from several countries will be prevented from boarding their flights with electronics larger than a phone starting Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
The electronics ban covers nonstop flights from 10 cities in the Middle East and North Africa. Cellphones and medical devices are excluded, but all other electronics are required to be checked in.
Aviation officials cited security concerns with the screening process of passengers in those specific locations. Another source suggested the threat involving electronics involves a possible Al Qaeda threat from the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), based on intelligence gathered from a recent raid conducted by U.S. Special Forces in Yemen, CNN reported.
In total, the ban, which is indefinite, covers nine airlines flying 56 routes into the United States. It affects flights out of Cairo, Egypt; Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Casablanca, Morocco; Doha, Qatar; Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia; Istanbul, Turkey; and Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
In 2010, security officials thwarted an attack planned by that off shoot of Al Qaeda that plotted to denoted bombs hidden in ink cartridges on cargo planes over the United States, the Washington Post reported.
In 2009, the same group was responsible for attempting the now infamous botched Christmas Day “underwear bombing” on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.
—RealClearLife
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