First it was the United States that banned laptops and other gadgets such as iPads and tablets on cabin flights from terror hot spots in Middle East and North Africa. UK followed shortly with the new regulations and proceeded with an immediate implementation. However, some European countries are refusing to adopt the security plan which can foil the initiative of US and UK.
The dramatic move of US was put into motion following the attempt of the terrorist group, Islamist al-Shabaab to bring down a Somalian jet using a laptop bomb. The intelligence reports mentioned that an affiliate of al-Qaeda was working on a method to hide highly explosive materials inside battery compartments of electronic devices. They believed that the technique is nearly perfected and an attack may be carried out by the terrorist any moment.
According to RT, some European countries are not going to adopt new safety regulations as they have not received enough information from the authorities of US and UK. "Our picture is not yet complete. French and Dutch officials also said they were reviewing procedures, but have so far decided not to move ahead with any new rules," said Johannes Dimroth, German Interior Ministry spokesman. The US and UK governments mentioned that the new procedure was for the imminent terror concerns on aviation but they refused to provide other details.
The refusal of some European countries may pose a big problem to the security measures that the US and UK are currently implementing. Terrorists may use the loopholes created by their refusal of the security measures. UK's ban is currently effective only on flights from Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia as reported by Daily Mail. If an insurgent enters the UK from a European country, there will be no one to stop him which means that their efforts will all be in vain.
The banned devices include gadgets that have dimensions of 3.6 inches by 6.3 inches by 0.6 inches. This means that most of laptop models will be banned together with some tablet units such as iPad Mini 4, iPad Pro, Kindle E-reader and more. Meanwhile, most smartphones are off from the ban.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
