A new rule banning some electronics on United States-bound flights from certain airports in Muslim-majority countries is a result of fears that ISIS could plant explosive devices in electronic devices, officials told NBC News.
Officials did not confirm or deny a recent New York Times report that ISIS was developing an explosive that could be hidden in laptop batteries.
But law enforcement sources said that longstanding concerns about al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, an affiliate that has sought to hide bombs in aircraft for a long time, was a factor in the development of the new rule.
A senior law enforcement source also said that intelligence suggests that a Qaeda could be helping ISIS develop smaller explosives.