[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。
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Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US* J' J8 G1 U+ @2 a
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.% h4 I: w% x1 X+ g( L/ F  G% ^8 S

# N1 I- n! y. R- k, h7 }+ ecsuchen.deThe 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.2 [. e2 k9 M6 `! l$ G: ?
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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.: x6 Q# z4 e& w" }+ Q

8 W* P2 }! s: C$ j4 }( t# y+ x- TUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.# V9 `, R& G# Q& I9 a; }! {
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US 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.
4 r# i# F7 |2 Y' Q3 C; z% b人在德国 社区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.
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"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."* z5 y: }) _1 E7 H$ V( J

' s: E& |2 s6 g- ~6 z" [; o. FThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.7 |" M( n3 G* S
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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.