Flight ban on laptops sparked by IS threat

An aircraft cabin ban on large electronic devices was prompted by intelligence suggesting a terror threat to US-bound flights, say US media.

BBC reported that the US and UK have announced new carry-on restrictions banning laptops on certain passenger flights.

The so-called Islamic State group (IS) has been working on ways to smuggle explosives on to planes by hiding them in electronics, US sources tell ABC.

The tip-off was judged by the US to be “substantiated” and “credible”.

Inbound flights on nine airlines operating out of 10 airports in eight countries are subject to the US Department of Homeland Security ban.

Phones and medical devices are not affected.

Eric Swalwell, a Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee, told ABC News there was “a new aviation threat”.

“We know that our adversaries, terrorist groups in the United States and outside the United States, seek to bring down a US-bound airliner. That’s one of their highest value targets. And we’re doing everything we can right now to prevent that from happening.”

Another member of that committee, Republican Peter King, told the New York Times he was forewarned about the ban.

“It was based on intelligence reports that are fairly recent. Intelligence of something possibly planned.”

The restriction is based, we are told, on “evaluated intelligence”, BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner writes.

That means that US intelligence has either intercepted discussion of a possible extremist plot or has been passed word of one by a human informant.