Air passenger in China nabbed at security check with mobile phone containing hidden lighter
Man handed over to police after trying to board with forbidden item in latest safety scare involving mainland flights
An air passenger in southern China tried to board a flight with a mobile phone modified to also contain a lighter, according to media reports.
It was the first time security staff at the Jieyang airport in Guangdong province had come across such a device, the Information Times reported.
The passenger was carrying the phone as he tried to board a flight to the southwest municipality of Chongqing on Monday. Security staff confiscated the device, which had a round hole in the back that looked like a camera lens. The flame could be ignited using the phone’s screen, according to the Times.
The passenger was handed over to airport police as bringing lighters or other open flame devices onto mainland flights is forbidden.
In July, a passenger was arrested after he tried to start a fire aboard a Shenzhen Airlines flight using a lighter and petrol.
The flight landed safely but the crew and passengers had to make an emergency evacuation.