U. K. joins U. S. in restricting electronics on certain flights

Terrorists are targeting airliners, leaders warn

Vaguely referring to security threats posed by bombs, Britain joined the United States on Tuesday in barring common electronics, such as laptops and iPads, in the cabins of passenger jets flying from some countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Officials said the security steps were warranted despite travel headaches they may cause.

The secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, John Kelly, and the acting head of the Transportation Security Administration, Huban Gowadia, decid- ed greater security was needed, based on intelligence about airlines that fly non- stop from 10 airports to the USA, according to four senior administration officials who discussed security measures on condition of anonymity.

“Evaluated intelligence indicates that terrorists continue to target commercial aviation and are aggressively pursuing innovative methods to undertake their attacks, to include smuggling explosive devices in various consumer items,” a senior administration official said.

The U. S. government began notifying nine foreign airlines in the Middle East and Africa at 3 a. m. ET Tuesday that personal electronics larger than cellphones will be banned indefinitely in the cabins of about

50 direct flights daily to the USA.

The nine airlines affected are Royal Jordanian, EgyptAir, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Royal Air Moroc, Qatar Airways, Emirates Airways and Etihad Airways.

The 10 international airports where those airlines fly directly to the USA are Queen Alia in Jordan, Cairo in Egypt, Ataturk in Turkey, King Abdulaziz and King Khalid in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Mohamed V in Morocco, Doha in Qatar and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates.

Unlike the U. S. ban, the British ban covers domestic airlines. “The additional security measures may cause some disruption for passengers and flights, and we understand the frustration that will cause, but our top priority will always be to maintain the safety of British nationals,” a statement from the British government said. The ban covers electronics larger than cellphones.

In the U. K., the ban covers non- stop flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

The list includes two countries the U. S. ban didn’t cover — Lebanon and Tunisia — and didn’t include several on the U. S. list.

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, fully supported the security precautions Tuesday after being briefed about them during the weekend.

“These steps are both necessary and proportional to the threat,” Schiff said. “The global aviation system remains a top target, and proper security requires that we continually adapt our defenses.”

No imminent threat was reported.

The targeted airlines will have 96 hours to ensure that passengers stow all of their tablets, e- readers, DVD players, cameras, game units, travel printers and scanners — any electronics larger than a cellphone — in checked luggage rather than in carry- ons.

The officials wouldn’t disclose why it was safer to have the electronics in cargo than in the cabin.

If an airline ignores the restrictions, security officials will ask the Federal Aviation Administration to revoke the airline’s certificate to fly to the USA.

Homeland Security and State Department officials began notifying authorities in the affected countries Sunday about the looming restrictions.

“For those guests bound for the U. S., this must be done at the point of origin, which may not necessarily be at Abu Dhabi International Airport,” Etihad Airways said in a statement Tuesday. “Safety and security remain the highest priority for Etihad Airways, and we will continue to assist passengers in complying with this directive.” The rules are to go into effect Saturday.

Emirates Airways said the restrictions will be in place through Oct. 14, although U. S. officials said the ban is indefinite.

“It is applicable to all U. S.bound passengers from Dubai In- ternational Airport, whether originating or transiting through. Emirates requests that all passengers traveling to the U. S. pack all electronic devices larger than a cellphone/ smart phone in their checked- in baggage,” the airline said in a statement Tuesday.

The measures raised some concerns.

Naureen Shah, senior director of campaigns at Amnesty International USA, said the ban for flights from majority- Muslim countries “could be yet more bigotry disguised as policy.”

“This could be the latest in what looks set to be a long line of discriminatory measures deployed by the Trump administration against Muslims around the world,” Shah said. “Muslims are once again left in the dark as the U. S administration piles up bans and restrictions against them.”

Jonathan Grella, executive vice president for the U. S. Travel Association, said the travel community supports making flying more secure.

But the government should explain policy changes as measures are reassessed, to secure rather than suppress travel, he said.

“We urge the federal government to make every effort to minimize disruption to legitimate travelers by clearly and quickly articulating the details of the new policy to enforcement personnel and the flying public,” Grella said.

Word of the ban began to spread Monday when Royal Jordanian and Saudi Arabian airlines each tweeted to their passengers that laptops and other electronics would no longer be allowed in the cabin on flights to the USA.

“The effort was not focused specifically on any one location or country,” a senior administration official said.

“It is really addressing the threat and how we perceive the threat, and what we’re doing is what we think is the right thing at the right place to address the threat and guarantee the safety of our traveling public,” the official said.

The ban doesn’t affect U. S. airlines because none flies directly from the airports or countries involved. The officials didn’t respond directly to a question about the possibility of a terrorist in one of the affected countries taking a connecting flight to the United States.

“We continue to evaluate and put in place security measures both seen and unseen to address all aspects of this threat,” a senior administration official said.

The order was based on intelligence that officials wouldn’t disclose.

A Russian Metrojet destroyed over Egypt by a suspected bomb in October 2015, an explosion aboard a Daallo Airlines flight in Somalia in February 2016 and bombings at airports in Brussels in March 2016 and Istanbul in June 2016 contributed to a higher threat level.

Security experts have said the Daallo bomb was hidden in a laptop.

“We’re concerned about ongoing interest in targeting commercial aviation, including transportation hubs,” one of the officials said.