Trump considering banning laptops from UK flights

Unpublished
Washington - Passengers flying to the US from British airports face being banned from taking laptops and iPads in their hand luggage. President Trump’s administration is considering extending its ban on large electronic devices being carried in aircraft cabins to flights from Europe, The Times reported. Last month both the US and British governments barred passengers from bringing large electronic devices on board incoming flights from six Middle Eastern countries. The ban, which followed concerns terrorists had perfected a new type of airline bomb, means travellers have to stow gadgets larger than a mobile phone – including laptops, tablets and kindles - in the hold. British security chiefs have now been warned that the US is planning to extend these security restrictions to incoming flights from some parts of Europe and have been put on alert that Britain could be one of those affected. The newspaper reported that the move could be implemented within weeks but that no final decision had yet been taken as to whether Britain would be included in the ban. One Whitehall source is reported as saying: ‘As with everything from Trump’s America, there are conflicting reports about where, when and what.’ A US official confirmed to The Times that Britain was on the list of countries being examined for extended security restrictions. A UK government spokesman said: ‘The safety and security of the travelling public is our highest priority. We keep aviation security under constant review.’ The US Department of Homeland Security said: ‘We will continue to evaluate the threat environment and make determinations based on that assessment but we have not made any decisions on expanding the current restrictions against large electronic devices in aircraft cabins from selected airports.’(FA)

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