US up e-device security on aircraft on fears terrorists may hide bombs in laptops
Washington — The US government is imposing broad new demands for increased airport security on flights to the US from other countries, in an attempt to combat the threat of terrorists hiding bombs in laptops. The measures by the department of homeland security represent one of the most sweeping security upgrades in the past decade, but stop short of a threatened ban on large electronics in aircraft cabins. It will apply to an average of 325,000 passengers a day flying to the US from 280 airports in 105 countries, according to the agency. "We are not standing on the sidelines as fanatics hatch new plots," homeland security secretary John Kelly said in Washington on Wednesday. "It is time that we raise the global baseline of aviation security." The goal of the latest action was to react to intelligence showing that terrorist groups had become more sophisticated in their bomb-making efforts and could hide explosives in a laptop or other electronic devices. The measures will include enh...
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