US to ban some airline passengers from carrying electronics after 'terror threat'

US authorities are planning to ban passengers travelling on certain US-bound foreign airline flights from carrying on larger electronic devices in response to an unspecified terrorism threat, according to a government official.

The ban will apply to devices larger than a mobile phone, the official said.

The new rule is expected to be announced by the Homeland Security Department on Tuesday, local time, and cover about a dozen foreign carriers.

It is unclear which countries and airlines the ban will apply to, or how long the ban will be in place, but the official said no American carriers would be affected.

The ban does not apply to mobile phones or medical devices, but does include laptops, tablets, electronic games and cameras, according to reports. Those items can be stowed in checked baggage.

Royal Jordanian posted on Twitter on Monday that "following instructions from the concerned U.S. departments, we kindly inform our dearest passengers departing to and arriving from the United States that carrying any electronic or electrical device on board the flight cabins is strictly prohibited."

Royal Jordanian Airlines said the ban would apply to devices larger than a mobile phone.

Royal Jordanian said the electronics ban affected its flights to New York, Chicago, Detroit and Montreal. The tweet was later deleted.

Al Riyadh newspaper, which is close to the Saudi government, reported that the civil aviation authority had informed "airlines flying from the kingdom's (Saudi) airports to US airports of the latest measures from US security agencies in which passengers must store laptops and tablets" in checked in baggage.

Al Riyadh quoted a civil aviation authority source as saying that these measures from senior US authorities were relayed to the Saudi interior ministry.

Fox News reported that the ban appeared to apply to 13 countries for the next 96 hours, and could be in response to a new intelligence threat.

The White House declined to comment.

A spokesman for the US Department of Homeland Security, David Lapan, said the agency has "no comment on potential security precautions, but will provide an update when appropriate. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly called congressional lawmakers this weekend to notify them of the plan, congressional aides said.

Reuters and Fairfax Media