Plot to blow up US-bound aircraft ‘foiled’ by FBI
An al-Qaeda plot to blow up a US-bound aircraft has been foiled, according to the BBC.
It said US officials claim to have seized an upgraded version of the ‘underpants bomb’, which failed to blow up a plane on Christmas Day 2009.
Reports say no plane ticket had been purchased by the time the plot was uncovered and the bomb seized by intelligence operatives. It is now being studied by the FBI in the US, said the BBC.
Officials say there was never any risk to the public. It is not clear what has happened to those responsible for creating the bomb, which is similar to the device sewn into the underwear of a Nigerian man who failed to set it off over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009.
Reports suggest that the bomb was designed with no metal parts so it wouldn’t have been picked up by airport metal detectors.
By Linsey McNeill
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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