Intelligence has found that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is developing ways to hide explosives in batteries and battery compartments, and that's why the U.S. and U.K. told certain airlines to keep passengers from carrying large electronics in the cabin, a U.S. official told CNN.
Airlines based in the Middle East and North Africa have been given 96 hours to comply with this request, and told passengers must place any electronics larger than a cellphone inside their checked luggage. The intelligence was obtained within the last few weeks, the official said, and the Trump administration did not come up with the request solo, but rather while working with intelligence officials. Questions have been raised by airlines and travelers alike regarding the ban, including why, if there is an imminent security threat, the plan has not been immediately implemented.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
'Without mandatory testing, bird flu will continue circulating at farms across the country'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Thirteen missing after Red Sea tourist boat sinksSpeed Read The vessel sank near the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam
-
Khan supporters converge on IslamabadSpeed Read Protesters clashing with Pakistani authorities are demanding the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
