When President Donald Trump tried to ban travelers from 6 or 7 predominately Muslim nations for the sake of national security, liberals came unglued. They protested, walked out of classes and filed lawsuits to stop the travel ban. Now, both the United Kingdom and United States issued a ban on many electronic devices on flights from 8 predominately Muslim nations and there has been no protests or lawsuits.
Passengers on foreign airlines headed to the United States from 10 airports in eight majority-Muslim countries have been barred from carrying electronic devices larger than a cellphone under a new flight restriction enacted on Tuesday by the Trump administration.
Officials said the new directive was not based on information pointing to a credible, specific threat of an imminent attack. Instead, it reflected a new consensus among American intelligence agencies that terrorist groups such as the Islamic State and the Al Qaeda franchise in Yemen are increasingly trying to find ways to smuggle explosive devices hidden in electronic devices, like laptops.
Hours after the American action, the British government announced its own ban on electronic devices on flights.
The Department of Homeland Security said the restricted items on flights to the United States included laptop computers, tablets, cameras, travel printers and games bigger than a phone. The restrictions would not apply to aircraft crews, officials said in a briefing to reporters on Monday night that outlined the terms of the ban.
GET MORE STORIES LIKE THIS
IN YOUR INBOX!
Sign up for our daily email and get the stories everyone is talking about.
