Data Justifying the Electronics Ban is Still Missing, But Arab Airlines are Complying
BY: Diego Reyes/Contributing Writer
As President Trump continues his fight against “radical Islamic terrorism,” another ban affecting Arab and Muslim-majority countries has been announced.
The US Department of Homeland Security has notified ten airports in the Middle East and North Africa of changes to US-inbound flights security measures. Personal electronics larger than the average smartphone will be banned indefinitely in the cabins of about 50 direct flights daily into the US from airports in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Turkey.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has classified laptops, tablets, cameras, and most other electronics as part of the ban, which went into effect at 3 a.m. ET on Tuesday, but carriers have until Friday to comply. The targeted airlines will need to ensure that their passengers carefully store electronic devices larger than a cellphone in checked luggage rather than in a carry-on bag.
“Evaluated intelligence indicates that terrorist groups continue to target commercial aviation and are aggressively pursuing innovative methods to undertake their attacks, to include smuggling explosive devices in various consumer items,” the TSA announced in response to the ban.
Both the Secretary of the Department of Homeland, John Kelly, and the acting head of the TSA, Huban Gowadia, came to the same conclusion about needing greater security based on intelligence gathered about these flights.
Former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman, Mark Rosenker, told CBS News, “There is good reason to believe that the possibility, not probability, but the possibility exists of a potential terrorist threat.”
These speculations have backed up the new “Laptop ban,” but no data on an imminent threat that has been reported.
The ban covers all passengers, excluding crew, regardless of passenger pre-clearance or status; and if an airline is to ignore the restrictions, security officials will ask the Federal Aviation Administration to revoke the airline’s certificate to fly to the US.
The nine airlines affected include: Royal Jordanian, EgyptAir, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Royal Air Moroc, Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad Airways.
The 10 international airports where those airlines fly directly to the U.S. 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.
Royal Jordanian and Saudi Arabian airlines each began to tweet to their passengers on Monday letting them know that laptops and other electronics would no longer be allowed in the cabin on flights to the US. The messages spread like fire.“The effort was not focused
“The effort was not focused especially on any one location or country,” said a senior administration official. “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.”
Andrew Thomas, an associate professor at the University of Akron and editor in chief of the Journal of Transportation Security, offered clarity on who or what exactly the threat it, claiming that “Al Qaeda continues to target aviation, despite the attention focused on the Islamic State.”
Thomas took a popular phrase from the Trump campaign to argue that electronic devices could work as “Trojan horses” delivering explosive devices.
It is believed that Al Qaeda members have improved their skills and are now actively recruiting suicide bombers to take down airplanes with bombs concealed in electronics devices.
In another report about the ban, the Islamic State is cited as the “imminent threat,” causing confusion among Americans.The new “laptop ban” has also influenced the UK, which also plans on applying the ban. Britain is set to follow the US cabin-luggage ban on laptops and other electronic devices on UK flights from 6 Middle Eastern countries – Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia,
The new “laptop ban” has also influenced the UK, which also plans on applying the ban. Britain is set to follow the US cabin-luggage ban on laptops and other electronic devices on UK flights from 6 Middle Eastern countries – Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Turkey – with new regulations expected soon.The decision by the UK government is understood to have come after several weeks of meetings about airline security, including one on Tuesday morning. Discussions have also been taking place with US counterparts. Just like the US, the UK’s main goal is to “keep the British people safe.”
The decision by the UK government is understood to have come after several weeks of meetings about airline security, including one on Tuesday morning. Discussions have also been taking place with US counterparts. Just like the US, the UK’s main goal is to “keep the British people safe.”
Canada is now also considering the electronics ban, which has been criticized heavily by families and business travelers who rely on their in-flight electronics the most.
So far, the airlines are complying, but Americans are hoping for clearer answers as to why the electronics ban was initiated in the first place.
