2010 transatlantic aircraft bomb plot

Cargo planes bomb plot
LocationUnited States of America (target); East Midlands Airport and Dubai International Airport (discovered)
DateOctober 29, 2010 (discovered)
Target2 planes
Attack type
Bombing (failed)
WeaponsTwo packages, each containing a printer cartridge packed with a bomb made from the plastic explosive PETN
Deaths0
Injured0
PerpetratorAl-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

On October 29, 2010, two packages, each containing a bomb consisting of 300 to 400 grams (11–14 oz) of plastic explosives and a detonating mechanism, were found on separate cargo planes. The bombs were discovered as a result of intelligence received from Saudi Arabia's security chief. They were in transport from Yemen to the United States and were discovered at stopover locations: one at East Midlands Airport in the UK and one in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

One week later, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed responsibility for the plot and for the crash of UPS Airlines Flight 6.[1] American and British authorities believed that Anwar al-Awlaki of AQAP was behind the bombing attempts and that the bombs were most likely constructed by AQAP's main explosives expert, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri.[2][3] The bombs were probably designed to detonate in flight, with the intention of destroying both planes over Chicago or another American city.[4][5] Each bomb had already been transported on passenger and cargo planes at the time of discovery.

  1. ^ "Yemen-based al Qaeda group claims responsibility for parcel bomb plot". CNN. November 5, 2010. Archived from the original on November 13, 2010. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference wsjegypt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference telegraph2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Parcel bomb plotters 'used dry run', say US officials". BBC News. November 2, 2010. Archived from the original on November 11, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  5. ^ Gardner, Frank (October 31, 2010). "Dubai bomb was flown on passenger planes". BBC News. Archived from the original on November 1, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2010.