The Transportation Security Administration has temporarily banned anyone flying to Russia from bringing liquids onto the plane in their carry-on baggage because of a new bomb threat.
The ban went into effect just after the Department of Homeland Security alerted the TSA that terrorists could try to smuggle explosives inside toothpaste cosmetics tubes. After smuggling those materials onboard, terrorists could link up with others who had also smuggled bomb-making materials and either construct an explosive during the flight or once they arrived in Russia. This announcement comes a day before the start of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
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Russia had a similar ban in place in January, according to ABC, but the U.S. had not followed suit until now. Officials said there is no specific threat related to a "toothpaste bomb" coming out of the United States, but they are worried about Islamist extremists trying to garner attention at the Olympics while the eyes of the world are on them.
Those fears stem in part from multiple recent suicide bombings caused by extremists in Russia that killed over 30 people. The attacks put a spotlight on security surrounding the Olympics.
These games are the first to have a credible terrorist threat against them before they have begun. The Russian government has responded by sending 37,000 security personnel to Sochi.
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