US: Terrorists make laptops with explosives that pass customs control

Terrorists have learned to put explosives in laptops in such a way that the laptops can function long enough to convince customs that they are real laptops. That writes CNN based on information from intelligence services.

The services initially thought that terrorists replaced the entire battery compartment in laptops to make bombs, but border control can easily intercept those bombs by trying to switch on the laptop. This cannot be done without a battery.

With household tools, terrorists can put explosives in laptops in a way that the device can handle long enough to convince a customs officer that it is a regular laptop.

Intelligence about the battery bombs has led the US and UK to ban carrying electronics larger than cell phones into aircraft cabins. The ban applies to flights to the US from a dozen airports in eight countries.

This is not the first time that terrorists have tried to hide explosives in technical products. Last year, a bomb went off from a terrorist who hid the material in the DVD drive of a laptop. The terrorist then got help from airport employees to get the bomb on board. An Al Qaeda expert also spent some time working on technology that would allow the transportation of bombs as printer cartridges. It is unknown whether an attack was ever committed with it.