US bans ink cartridges on passenger airplanes

Toner and ink cartridges have been banned by the US from passenger planes in the wake of the package last month’s package bomb plot, the Telegraph reported.

Janet Napolitano, the UShomeland security secretary added that cargo flights from Somalia and Yemen were not banned. She said all parcels had to be screened for explosives and certified to have come from an established shipper.

The new measures, which affect ink cartridges more than 16 ounces, are being put in place after bombs hidden in ink cartridges were intercepted on route from Yemen to the US in cargo planes.

“The safety and security of the American public is our highest priority,” Napolitano said.

Meanwhile, a suspicious package was found at the Hungarian embassy in Athens on Tuesday but it contained no explosives, Greek police said.

Greek authorities have blamed leftist militants for a wave of parcel bombs sent to foreign governments and embassies in Athens last week, but the latest incident was a false alarm. Police had planned to detonate the package, a large envelope, but decided not to after a thermal camera detected no explosive device.