2010 transatlantic aircraft bomb plot

Locating the bombs

On October 28, Saudi Arabia's deputy interior minister of counterterrorism Prince Muhammad bin Nayef called John Brennan, the U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism and former Central Intelligence Agency station chief in Riyadh, to warn him of the plot. The Saudis provided the U.S. and Germany with the tracking numbers and destinations of the packages and informed them to look for toner cartridges. The packages had been deposited by a woman at FedEx and UPS offices in Sana'a, Yemen on October 27, and were scheduled to arrive in Chicago on November 1.

Saudi Arabia had reportedly learned of the plot through Jabir Jubran Al Fayfi, a former Guantánamo Bay detention camp inmate who had been remanded to Saudi Arabia for rehabilitation in 2006. Al-Faifi had escaped in 2008 and rejoined AQAP, but surrendered to Saudi authorities on October 16, 2010, and provided them with information about the plot. Yemeni officials suspected that al-Faifi had not actually rejoined al-Qaeda but had become a double agent. They said that his tip appeared to be based on more recent information than al-Faifi could access, and that the information must have come from a Saudi double agent in AQAP.

England

The first package left Sana'a, Yemen, on a passenger plane, flying to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It then was next placed on a UPS cargo plane to Cologne/Bonn Airport in Germany, where UPS Airlines has a hub. There, it was placed on UPS Flight 232, a Boeing 767 cargo plane bound for East Midlands Airport in Leicestershire. From there, it was to fly to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago via Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The UPS plane landed at East Midlands Airport at 2:13 a.m. local time on October 29. British military and police explosives experts had been alerted to the existence of the bomb, and conducted an initial search of the plane's cargo in the airport's UPS parcels distribution depot. Officers from Scotland Yard Counter Terrorism Command joined them.

U.S. authorities provided the tracking number of the package, and the computer printer inside was scanned with explosives detection equipment, x-rayed, subjected to chemical swabs, and sniffed by sniffer dogs. No explosives were detected. Removing the suspect package for further examination, the authorities allowed the UPS plane to proceed to Philadelphia at 4:20a.m. local time. At 10:00 a.m. the British gave the all-clear, and removed safety cordons from the airport.

Later forensic examination indicated that the bomb was inadvertently disarmed by Scotland Yard explosive officers, who took the printer cartridge out of the printer during their examination that morning, around three hours before the bomb was due to explode at 10:30a.m. (5:30a.m. Eastern time). The officers were unaware when they took the device apart that it was a bomb.

British officials continued to believe that there were no explosives in the package, but U.S. authorities insisted that the package be inspected again. British authorities then consulted with officials in Dubai, who had discovered a similar bomb in a printer cartridge, and MI6 spoke with the Saudi tipster. Scotland Yard explosives officers flew the printer and the cartridge in a police helicopter to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Fort Halstead near London, and discovered the bomb at around 2:00 p.m.

Dubai

Qatar Airways said that the package with the second bomb had been carried on two of its commercial passenger jets. The first was a 144-seat Airbus A320 that flew from Sana'a, Yemen, to Doha International Airport in Doha, Qatar, on October 28. The second passenger plane was an Airbus A321 or Boeing 777 flying from Doha to Dubai. The seating capacity of the second plane was anywhere from 144 to 335, depending on which aircraft was used.

The second package was discovered on a FedEx Express plane at the FedEx depot at the Dubai airport at around 9:00 a.m. GMT on October 29. The plane was scheduled to fly to Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, and then on to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.

Bombs

Addresses

The packages were addressed to former locations of two synagogues in Chicago. Investigators believe the terrorists used outdated information that they found online. One package was addressed to a church in Lakeview that had once been the meeting place of Congregation Or Chadash, and the other had been sent to a closed synagogue in East Rogers Park. Simon Calder observed in The Independent:

The packages were addressed to specific people at the addresses—the names used were those of historical figures from the Spanish Inquisition and the Crusades. One package was addressed to Diego Deza, a Grand Inquisitor during the Spanish Inquisition. The other was addressed to Reynald Krak (Raynald of Châtillon), a French crusader who was beheaded in 1187 by Sultan Saladin of the 12th-century Muslim Ayyubid dynasty.

Brian Fishman of the New America Foundation said the choice of names was an inside joke. "The jihadis ... narrative is that non-Muslims are always on the attack, always trying to take Muslim lands. The jihadis like the narrative, because it justifies violence, since they claim that they’re only defending Islam," he said. He felt the destination of Chicago may have had meaning as well, as the latest edition of Inspire (AQAP's online magazine) may have had a photo of Chicago on its cover. Fishman points out that this parallels Osama bin Laden posing in front of a map of East Africa shortly before the 1998 United States embassy bombings. U.S. and UK officials believed the planes, and not the addresses on the ground, were the targets.

Contents

Each package contained an HP LaserJet P2055 desktop laser printer. Inside each printer's toner cartridge was a sophisticated bomb. The cartridges were filled with pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). The bomb found in the UK contained 400 g of PETN, five times the amount needed to destroy a house. The one found in Dubai contained 300 g of PETN. Hans Michels, professor of safety engineering at University College London, said that just 6 grams (0.2 oz) of PETN—around 2% of what was used—would be enough to blow a hole in a metal plate twice the thickness of an aircraft's skin. The PETN was of "an extremely high concentration", according to British criminal investigators. German investigators felt the device's construction would require "logistics that only state facilities should have access to".

The package intercepted in Dubai was shipped in a cardboard box that also contained souvenirs, clothes, compact discs, and several books written in English.

The bomb found in the UK was sent to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Fort Halstead in Kent, and American technicians in the United Arab Emirates examined the other bomb.

Detonation

;Detonators Each bomb was triggered by a cell phone alarm, which activated a phone battery to send power through a thin wire filament inside a syringe containing 5 g of lead azide, a powerful chemical initiator. Once hot, the lead azide would ignite, detonating the PETN. The device's wiring was set up so that all the printer components would appear to be correct if the device was x-rayed. Features not relevant to the alarm timer function, such as the display, had been removed to extend the battery life. The device was reported to carry markings resembling a Bird D736 cell phone.

There had initially been speculation that the bombs might be detonated by receipt of a telephone call or text message, but the SIM cards necessary to receive calls had been removed, rendering the phones unable to receive any communication, but increasing battery life. U.S. officials said that the bombs were set to go off shortly before the planes landed.

;Mid-air capability British Prime Minister David Cameron and officials in the U.S. believe that the bombs were designed to detonate as the planes were in flight, destroying the planes in mid-air. Britain's Home Secretary, Theresa May, said British investigators concluded the UK device was a functional bomb powerful enough to bring down the aircraft, causing a "supersonic blast". Brennan agreed with this assessment.

;Cargo vs. passenger planes Brennan said it was not clear whether those attempting the bombing knew whether the packages would be carried on cargo or passenger planes. Since Yemen does not have any regularly scheduled cargo flights, the perpetrators likely knew the bombs would end up on passenger planes. Most of the air freight arriving in the U.S. is on passenger flights.

Detection

Like many explosives, PETN has a low vapor pressure. This makes it difficult to detect, because the chemical releases little vapor into the surrounding air. Frank Cilluffo, the director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University, said: "It is evident that had we not had the intelligence, our security countermeasures would not have identified these improvised explosive devices." Qatar Airways said that "the explosives discovered were of a sophisticated nature whereby they could not be detected by x-ray screening or trained sniffer dogs", and were only discovered after intelligence services received a tip.

Both packages were x-rayed in Sana'a, and the one in Dubai was x-rayed there, without the bombs being spotted. A spokesman for the German Federal Criminal Police Office, where the Dubai x-rays were reviewed, stated they would not have detected the bomb. When X-rayed, PETN would resemble the cartridge's powdered ink, and the timers resembled the normal printer cartridge electronics.

Preparation

Previously, in mid-September 2010, U.S. intelligence intercepted three packages linked to AQAP that had been shipped from Yemen to Chicago. They searched the packages, but did not find any explosives. One of the packages included the 1860 novel The Mill on the Floss, by English novelist George Eliot, a woman who wrote under an assumed identity. The packages, addressed to "random addresses" in Chicago, were not confiscated.

Authorities surmised, after the October incident, that the September parcels may have been a test run.

Responsibility

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

Main article: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

On November 5, 2010, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) took responsibility for the plot, posting on a number of radical Islamist websites monitored by the SITE Intelligence Group and the NEFA Foundation. "We will continue to strike blows against American interests and the interest of America's allies," said the perpetrators. "Since both operations were successful, we intend to spread the idea to our mujahedeen brothers in the world and enlarge the circle of its application to include civilian aircraft in the West as well as cargo aircraft." U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, British Home Secretary Theresa May, and Dubai police had noted that these types of explosives are "hallmarks" of AQAP, and had suspected they were behind the attack.

AQAP also claimed responsibility for the crash of UPS Airlines Flight 6, a Boeing 747-400 cargo plane that crashed in Dubai on September 3. U.S. and United Arab Emirates investigators had said they had not found any evidence of an explosion or terrorist involvement in that incident, and were skeptical about the claim. They suggested it was probably an attempt by AQAP to bolster its image. On September 10, the FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the AQAP was not involved in the September 3 crash.

On November 21, AQAP provided a detailed account of the plot, including photos of the printer bombs, in its English-language magazine Inspire. The article said that the mission was a success, because it caused a huge amount of disruption to the world's air traffic and security systems at the very low cost of $4,200.

Anwar al-Awlaki

Main article: Anwar al-Awlaki

The Guardian reported that unnamed U.S. counter-terrorism officials suspected that Anwar al-Awlaki of AQAP was behind the plot. "Anybody associated with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is a subject of concern," Brennan said. The New York Times reported that "some analysts believe the [attempted Chicago bombing] may also be linked to Mr. Awlaki". The Daily Telegraph reported that "U.S. and British security officials believe" al-Awlaki was behind the attack.

Al-Awlaki had also been linked to the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, the failed 2009 Christmas Day bombing, the failed 2010 Times Square car bombing attempt, and other terrorist incidents, and had been placed by U.S. President Barack Obama on a targeted killing list. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights sued in an attempt to prevent his death. Al-Awlaki was killed in a targeted killing in September 2011.

Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri

Main article: Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri

US officials suggested that Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, the main explosives expert for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, likely built the bombs. He has a history of creating explosive devices using PETN. Brennan said that the evidence pointed to the bombs having been built by the same person who made the device worn by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who attempted to detonate a bomb on a plane on Christmas Day 2009. One of the detonators was almost identical to the one used in that attack.

Al-Asiri had previously recruited his younger brother Abdullah as a suicide bomber, hiding a PETN bomb in his rectum in an attempt on the life of security chief Mohammed bin Nayef. Abdullah died in the attempt, but Nayef survived with minor injuries.

Released suspect

On October 30, 2010, a 22-year-old female Yemeni engineering student was arrested in Sana'a, Yemen, on suspicion of having shipped the packages. Her mother was also arrested. Both were released the following day when it was determined that the woman's identification had been stolen.

Responses

Political

Obama and his administration reacted quickly to the incident, making public statements that it was a "credible threat". A New York Times opinion piece suggested that the quick response would be well received politically for the 2010 U.S. elections.

Security

Security alerts were triggered in the U.S., the UK, and the Middle East. Two FedEx planes containing packages originating from Yemen were also searched.

The UK, the U.S., Germany, France, and Belgium stopped accepting freight package cargo shipments from Yemen, and the Netherlands and Canada suspended all cargo flights from Yemen. Germany suspended passenger flights from Yemen until November 15. Britain and the U.S. stopped accepting air cargo from Somalia, and prohibited passengers from carrying certain printer cartridges on flights. The Swedish government recommended that its citizens not travel to Yemen until further notice.

FedEx, UPS, and Mideast-based shipper Aramex suspended their shipping operations in Yemen.

The U.S. increased air passenger screenings and initiated a more detailed passenger search procedure. American Civil Liberties Union counsel Chris Calabrese said that "Americans now must choose between a virtual strip search and a grope."

The incident was one of the factors leading the European Commission to review the European Union's approach to customs risk management and supply chain security in 2012–13.

Al-Awlaki

On November 2, four days after the bombs were discovered, al-Awlaki was charged in absentia in Sana'a with plotting to kill foreigners and being an al-Qaeda member in an unrelated matter. On November 6, Yemeni Judge Mohsen Alwan ordered that al-Awlaki be caught dead or alive.

References

References

1. (November 5, 2010). "Yemen-based al Qaeda group claims responsibility for parcel bomb plot". CNN.
2. (November 2, 2010). "Parcel bomb plotters 'used dry run', say US officials". BBC News.
3. Gardner, Frank. (October 31, 2010). "Dubai bomb was flown on passenger planes". BBC News.
4. (October 30, 2010). "U.S. Sees Complexity of Bombs as Link to Al Qaeda". [[The New York Times]].
5. NPR staff. (October 30, 2010). "Story Of The US-Bound Explosives Emerges". NPR.
6. Gebauer, Matthias. (November 2, 2010). "Foiled Parcel Plot: World Scrambles to Tighten Air Cargo Security". [[Der Spiegel]].
7. Crumley, Bruce. (November 1, 2010). "Focus on al-Qaeda Mastermind Allegedly Behind Parcel Bombs".
8. Soltis, Andy. (November 2, 2010). "Bomb parcel tip-off came from al Qaeda turncoat". The [[New York Post]].
9. (November 1, 2010). "Cargo plane bomb plot: Saudi double agent 'gave crucial alert'". The Guardian.
10. (November 3, 2010). "Parcel bomb plot 'aimed at passenger jets'". Telegraph.
11. (November 2, 2010). "Q&A: Air freight bomb plot". BBC News.
12. O'Reilly, Mick. (November 3, 2010). "Parcels sent by terrorists in trial run seized in September". [[Gulf News]].
13. Keteyian, Armen. (November 4, 2010). "Cargo Bombs Timeline: What Could Have Happened". CBS News.
14. (November 1, 2010). "Al-Qaeda plot: flight ban on freight from Somalia". Telegraph.
15. Goldman, Adam. (November 1, 2010). "2 passenger planes carried explosives". Charlotte Observer.
16. Burns, John F.. (November 10, 2010). "Yemen Bomb Could Have Exploded Over U.S. East Coast". The New York Times.
17. (November 10, 2010). "Cargo plane bomb found in Britain was primed to blow up over US". The Guardian.
18. Gardham, Duncan. (September 22, 2001). "Parcel bomb set to go off over the US, police say". Telegraph.
19. (April 7, 2010). "Terrorist Bombers May Have Targeted Aircraft". Fox News.
20. (June 2021). "Bomb plot just narrowly averted, officials say". The Washington Post.
21. Leppard, David. (November 8, 2010). "Terrorists package a new punch". The Australian.
22. Rising, David. (August 2024). "Around the world, a race against time bombs in air". MSNBC.
23. MacDonald, Alistair. (November 3, 2010). "U.K.'s Response to Package Bomb Is Criticized". The Wall Street Journal.
24. Gardham, Duncan. (November 4, 2010). "Cargo plane bomb plot". Telegraph.
25. (November 10, 2010). "Cargo plane bomb plot: ink cartridge bomb 'timed to blow up over US'". Telegraph.
26. (October 31, 2010). "Passenger jets carried Dubai bomb". Al Jazeera.
27. (November 7, 2010). "Interpol issues alert over Yemen parcel bombs". The Times of India.
28. (October 30, 2010). "Bomb was designed to explode on cargo plane". BBC World News.
29. (December 25, 2009). "Agenzia stampa del settore aeronautico, elicotteristico, aerospaziale e della difesa". Avionews.
30. (November 4, 2010). "Bomb plot becomes historic jigsaw puzzle". [[Chicago Tribune]].
31. Calder, Simon. (November 6, 2010). "Avoid the airport experience with a 'no-fly' cruise". [[The Independent]].
32. Etter, Lauren. (October 31, 2010). "Chicago Synagogue Cites Web Visits From Egypt". The Wall Street Journal.
33. (November 2, 2010). "In Parcel Bomb Plot, 2 Dark Inside Jokes". [[The New York Times]].
34. (9 November 2010). "Is Chicago an Al Qaeda Target?".
35. (June 2021). "Mail bombs 4 times larger than Christmas plot". [[The Washington Post]].
36. (November 1, 2010). "Earlier Flight May Have Been Dry Run for Plotters". The New York Times.
37. Greenemeier, Larry. (November 2, 2010). "Exposing the Weakest Link: As Airline Passenger Security Tightens, Bombers Target Cargo Holds". Scientific American.
38. (November 3, 2010). "Parcel bombs could rip 50 planes in half". [[India Today]].
39. (November 11, 2010). "German Security Lapse: Communications Error Enabled Explosive Package To Go Unchecked". Der Spiegel.
40. (November 5, 2010). "Saudis Warned U.S. of Attack Before Parcel Bomb Plot". The New York Times.
41. Sengupta, Kim. (November 5, 2010). "Airmail bomb was 'just minutes from exploding'". The Independent.
42. Bennett, Brian. (November 4, 2010). "Terrorism, Yemen, package bombs: Yemen mail bombs set to be detonated by cellphone alarms, U.S. officials say". Los Angeles Times.
43. (November 3, 2010). "Bomb Makers Plotted Blasts Over U.S., Officials Say; Circuitry of Intercepted Devices Points To Effort to Time Explosions on Planes". The Wall Street Journal.
44. (November 4, 2010). "Source: Syringes surface in Yemen terror inquiry". CNN.
45. (November 4, 2010). "Mail Bomb Defused 17 Minutes Before Set to Explode, French Official Says". [[Fox Broadcasting Company]].
46. Griffiths, Richard T.. (October 29, 2010). "Intercepted device likely a cell phone, photo analysis shows". CNN.
47. (November 3, 2010). "Officials suspect Sept. dry run for bomb plot". [[The Washington Post]].
48. (October 31, 2010). "Cargo plane bomb plot: al-Qaeda terrorists 'threatened another Lockerbie'". Telegraph.
49. Bennett, Brian. (November 2, 2010). "TSA to overhaul screening methods after bomb attack". Los Angeles Times.
50. (November 3, 2010). "Plotters didn't know where mail bombs would go off". [[The Record (Bergen County).
51. (November 5, 2010). "Al-Qaida claims responsibility for cargo bombs". NBC News.
52. Entous, Adam. (November 5, 2010). "Yemeni al Qaeda Claims Package Bomb Attempts". The Wall Street Journal.
53. (November 5, 2010). "Yemeni Al Qaeda Group Claims Responsibility for Failed Mail Bomb Plot on US Cargo Planes". Fox News.
54. (November 6, 2010). "UAE to review bomb blast claim in UPS jet crash". [[Al Arabiya]].
55. (November 10, 2010). "Scotland Yard: Cartridge bomb might have exploded over Eastern U.S.". CNN.
56. (November 22, 2010). "Al-Qaida Magazine Details Parcel Bomb Attempt". NPR.
57. Shane, Scott. (November 20, 2010). "Qaeda Branch Aimed for Broad Damage at Low Cost". The New York Times.
58. Worth, Robert. (October 29, 2010). "Yemen Emerges as Base for Qaeda Attacks on U.S.". [[The New York Times]].
59. Dodd, Vikram. (October 29, 2010). "Yemen bomb scare 'mastermind' lived in London". [[The Guardian]].
60. Greenman, Joshua. (October 31, 2010). "President Obama's handling of Yemen bomb package scare may help him on Election Day". [[New York Daily News]].
61. Perez, Evan. (November 1, 2010). "Package Bombs Help US Defense in Cleric Case". The Wall Street Journal.
62. Zenko, Micah. (September 30, 2011). "Targeted Killings: The Death of Anwar al-Awlaki". Council on Foreign Relations.
63. (October 30, 2010). "Yemen cargo bomb plot may have been targeted at Britain". Telegraph.
64. Gardner, Frank. (November 1, 2010). "Saudi man 'key suspect' in jet bomb plot, says US". BBC News.
65. (November 1, 2010). "Saudi Bombmaker Key Suspect in Yemen Plot". CBS News.
66. (October 29, 2010). "How it happened: Air cargo security alert". BBC World News.
67. Zuvela, Matt. (November 1, 2010). "Authorities review airport security after failed bomb plot". [[Deutsche Welle]].
68. (November 2, 2010). "US 'knew' of al-Qaeda parcel plot". Al Jazeera.
69. Lever, Rob. (September 11, 2001). "Al-Qaeda in Yemen claims parcel bomb plot: SITE". AFP.
70. (November 15, 2010). "Germany Lifts Yemen Passenger Flight Ban". News.airwise.com.
71. Ganley, Elaine. (November 4, 2010). "French: 1 Yemen bomb 17 minutes from exploding". Business Week.
72. Williams, Pete. (November 8, 2010). "U.S. blocks air cargo from Somalia". NBC News.
73. Martin, Hugo. (November 1, 2010). "Money & Company". Los Angeles Times.
74. European Commission, [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52012DC0793 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee on Customs Risk Management and Security of the Supply Chain], COM(2012) 793 final, page 3, published 8 January 2013, accessed 27 December 2023
75. Apuzzo, Matt. (November 2, 2010). "Yemen charges US-born radical cleric al-Awlaki". New York Post.
76. (November 6, 2010). "Yemen orders arrest of al-Awlaki". Al Jazeera.