Recent measures by the U.S. and the U.K. to restrict electronic devices on flights from certain overseas airports were led by new threats from ISIS, according to a report from ABC News who cited sources familiar with the intelligence.
The U.S. government obtained new threat intelligence earlier this year indicating that the Islamic State militant group has been developing explosives which can be disguised within electronic devices, ABC noted.
The Department for Homeland Security yesterday banned all electronic devices bigger than a cell phone from the cabins of direct flights to the U.S. from 10 airports in a number of Muslim-majority countries: Cairo, Istanbul, Kuwait City, Doha in Qatar, Casablanca in Morocco, Amman in Jordan, Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Hours later, the U.K. followed suit, banning such devices from direct flights to Britain from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordon, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.
The sources said the intelligence did not directly reference the banned airports but was determined "through intelligence analysis paired with other government information."
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is set to meet with Foreign ministers Wednesday for the Global Coalition working to defeat ISIS.
To read ABC News' article in full click here.