Etihad Barbie bomb plot revealed
Lebanese-Australian brothers plotted to blow up an Etihad flight with bombs hidden in a Barbie doll and a meat grinder, according to Lebanon’s interior minister.
At a press conference yesterday, he said Amer Khayyat planned to detonate an improvised device 20 minutes into a flight to Abu Dhabi, which had 400 passengers onboard.
His plan was allegedly foiled after the luggage containing the bombs was deemed overweight and he was forced to travel without it, said the BBC.
His brothers Khaled Khayyat, aged 49, and Mahmoud Khayyat, 32, were arrested in Sydney in counter-terrorism raids in July and charged with ‘preparing for or planning a terrorist attack’.
Two other men arrested in the same raids were released.
Australian authorities at the time confirmed the arrests related to a credible plot to bring down an aeroplane. It was later confirmed that an Etihad flight from Sydney on July 15 was the target.
Australian Federal Police deputy commissioner Michael Phelan described the plan as ‘one of the most sophisticated plots that has ever been attempted on Australian soil’.
He said components for the IED were sent through international cargo from IS members to the men in Australia. It is claimed a fourth brother, Tarek, is a senior member of the so-called Islamic State in Raqqa.
At the news conference yesterday, Lebanese Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk said his country coordinated extensively with the Australian government over the plot.
He also claimed the brothers had been under surveillance for more than a year since their brother travelled to Syria.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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