Emirates passenger planes are parked at their gates at the Dubai
International Airport in the United Arab Emirates. (photo: Kamran
Jebreili/AP)
US Bans Large Electronic Devices on Select Flights From 8 Muslim Countries
By Greg Myre, NPR
21 March 17
irline passengers coming to the U.S. on direct flights from eight
majority-Muslim nations must now place most electronic devices, including
laptops, tablets and cameras, in checked baggage under stepped-up security
measures, Trump administration officials said.
Passengers can still carry smartphones into the plane's cabin, but nothing
larger, the officials added.
The measures took effect Tuesday morning and cover about 50 incoming flights
a day from the eight countries - Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
All are traditional U.S. allies and none is among the six majority-Muslim
nations on President Trump's controversial executive order that seeks to
temporarily suspend immigration. The president issued a revised executive
order on March 6, and this one, like the original in January, has been
blocked by the courts.
The six countries cited in Trump's order all have fraught relations with the
U.S., and several are plagued by unrest or civil war, including Syria, Libya
and Yemen.
In contrast, the countries on the new airline list are mostly stable, have
generally good relations with the U.S. and include four wealthy states in
the Gulf.
The U.S. officials said the airplane restrictions are based on intelligence
indicating that terror groups are still plotting to blow up civilian planes.
The officials stress that the latest measure is not related to the
president's executive order, but it's certain to draw comparisons amid the
ongoing political and legal battle over Trump's immigration order.
Royal Jordanian informs passengers
Royal Jordanian Airlines announced the security steps on Twitter on Monday
afternoon. The tweet was deleted shortly afterward, but it prompted
administration officials to speak to reporters Monday evening, and they said
the measures would take effect Tuesday morning.
The measure is open-ended and will be reviewed periodically. It covers 10
airports in the eight countries - Amman, Jordan; Cairo; Istanbul; Kuwait
City; Casablanca, Morocco; Doha, Qatar; Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia,
and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
That list includes every major travel hub in the region except Israel's main
airport just outside Tel Aviv.
U.S. authorities have expressed concerns in the past that explosives could
be placed inside electronic devices.
However, the administration officials declined to say specifically how this
move would enhance security since it doesn't ban electronic items currently
permitted on planes, it just requires that most be placed in checked bags.
Passengers can still take smartphones or essential medical devices into the
cabin. But larger items, including laptops, tablets, cameras, DVD players
and electronic games will have to be checked.
The officials cited attacks in recent years by extremists, including the
downing of a Russian charter plane in Egypt in 2015, which was apparently
caused by an explosive device on the aircraft. The officials also noted
airport attacks carried out by gunmen in Brussels and Istanbul in 2016.
U.S. carriers are not affected because none travels directly to the U.S.
from airports in the eight named countries. The measure does not cover
flights leaving the U.S.
American officials said they started reaching out on Sunday to make sure the
countries and airlines knew the new regulations were coming.
For the past several years, U.S. authorities have expressed great concern
about the bombmaking skills of the al-Qaida satellite in Yemen and have
cited group member Ibrahim al-Asiri in particular.
Yemen is on Trump's immigration ban, but there are no direct flights from
that country to the U.S. However, Yemen is relatively close to the four Gulf
states on the airline list.
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