Laptop Bombs In Planes: Terrorists Try To Plant Explosives In Electronic Devices, Bypass Airport Security

Terrorist groups such as the Islamic State group and al Qaeda have reportedly developed innovative ways to conceal explosives in electronic devices that could bypass airport security. U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies believe that these bombs can be hidden in a laptop computer, according to reports Saturday.

The intelligence, gathered in the recent few months, compelled President Donald Trump's administration to make the recent decision of prohibiting travelers flying out of 10 airports in eight countries in the Middle East and Africa from carrying laptops and other such large electronic devices on flights, CBS New York reported.

Read: List Of Airports Where Electronic Devices Not Allowed On Flights

The U.S. intelligence believes that terrorists have obtained sophisticated airport security equipment to test how they can conceal explosives in laptops and other devices effectively. Terrorists have reportedly found a solution to pass the airport security measures even while bombs are hidden in their laptops. FBI experts tested variants of the laptop bombs using different battery and explosive configurations to assess the bombs' difficulty level of passing airport screeners. Unfortunately, they found that these laptop bombs cannot be detected easily by the machines, according to CNN.

"As a matter of policy, we do not publicly discuss specific intelligence information. However, evaluated intelligence indicates that terrorist groups continue to target commercial aviation, to include smuggling explosive devices in electronics," the Department of Homeland Security told CNN in a statement. "The U.S. government continually re-assesses existing intelligence and collects new intelligence. This allows DHS and TSA to constantly evaluate our aviation security processes and policies and make enhancements when they are deemed necessary to keep passengers safe. As always, all air travelers are subject to a robust security system that employs multiple layers of security, both seen and unseen."

Along with the U.S., the U.K. also announced a cabin baggage ban on laptops and tablets on direct flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.