LONDON (AFP) — Britain is expected to follow the United States in banning laptops and tablets in airplane cabins on flights from some airports in the Middle East, media reports and sources said Tuesday.
The BBC said the British restrictions “may differ” from those announced by the United States, but government sources confirmed that they were being reviewed.
“Obviously we are privy to the same intelligence as the Americans. We will be updating our plans later this afternoon,” a government source told AFP.
A transport ministry spokesman also said Britain’s plans were due to be updated later in the day.
The United States warned earlier that extremists plan to target passenger jets with bombs hidden in electronic devices, and banned carrying them in cabins on flights from 10 airports.
Senior US officials told reporters that nine airlines from eight countries had been given 96 hours, beginning at 3:00 am (0700 GMT), to ban devices bigger than a mobile phone from the cabin.
Laptops, tablets and portable game consoles are affected by the ban — which applies to direct flights to the United States — but they may still be stowed in the hold in checked baggage.
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