The Daily Telegraph
October 30, 2010
By Richard Edwards, Duncan Gardham and Gordon Rayner
MI6 tip-off foils al-Qaeda ink cartridge bomb plot
AN INTERNATIONAL terrorist alert over an al-Qaeda parcel bomb plot was triggered yesterday following the discovery of a package containing explosive material at a British airport.
Police load a parcel removed from a UPS container at East Midlands airport on to a helicopter. It contained a suspicious device, inset
The plot — described as a “credible threat” originating in Yemen — was uncovered by MI6 after a tip-off to one of its officers based in the Middle East.
Last night, airports in the United States were on high alert after parcels containing explosive material, and addressed to synagogues in Chicago, were discovered on cargo aircraft at East Midlands airport and in Dubai.
The “sinister” parcel at East Midlands, which was found in a UPS container, comprised what police described as a “manipulated” computer printer cartridge that was covered in white powder and had wires protruding from it.
The device initially tested negative for traces of explosives but it was understood that a further search uncovered a second suspect package containing a “cleverly hidden” device in a printer, which included a mobile phone as one of its components.
There were reports that up to 20 similar suspect packages had been sent from Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, targeting synagogues in the US.
Last night, President Barack Obama said: “Initial examination of these packages has determined that they do apparently contain explosive material.”
He said the authorities were investigating a “credible terrorist threat” against America.
But while Mr Obama praised the actions of intelligence agents, there were question marks over the response of British police, who missed the explosives during their initial search, carried out by officers from Leicestershire.
It was only after explosives were found in the device discovered in Dubai that the second search uncovered explosives and specialist officers from the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism command took over the investigation.
The confusion meant that it was not until 4pm that David Cameron was briefed, more than 12 hours after the initial find and more than 18 hours after Mr Obama had been informed about the threat.
Sources in the US said that the devices had tested positive for PETN, the same explosive as that used by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the al-Qaeda terrorist caught trying to detonate a bomb hidden in his underwear on a flight to Detroit last Christmas.
Significantly, Abdulmutallab said he had been trained in Yemen, and US officials said the Yemeni-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) would be at the top of the list of suspects if any terrorism links were confirmed.
John Brennan, Mr Obama’s national security adviser, said the devices were “intended to do harm” but would not speculate on “how much damage they could do”.
Mr Obama ordered a security clampdown across the US after the discovery of the parcel at East Midlands airport. Aircraft were grounded in Philadelphia and New York to be searched for possible devices, but no others were found.
Sir John Sawers, the head of MI6, pinpointed Yemen as a security concern in his first public speech on Thursday. There is particular concern over Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaeda leader and US national who is based there and uses the internet to broadcast propaganda and terrorist instruction in fluent English.
MI6 is understood to have triggered the security operation after receiving information from a source in Saudi Arabia.
Following the tip-off, Leicestershire police found the package at East Midlands airport at about 3.30am.
US intelligence officials warned last month that terrorists wanted to send chemical and biological materials through the post as part of an attack against the country. It was not until after midnight, that Theresa May, the Home Secretary, confirmed that the package at East Midlands airport did contain explosive material. She said it was not yet clear whether it was a “viable explosive device” but there was nothing to suggest that any location in Britain was being targeted.
She said earlier: “The package originated in Yemen and was addressed to a US destination. We are considering what steps need to be put in place regarding security of freight originating from Yemen. There are currently no direct flights from Yemen to the UK.”
The terrorism alert prompted a frantic search in the US for packages sent from Yemen via UPS and FedEx. Using the tracking numbers of all packages sent in a consignment from Sana’a, which had been split as it made its way to the US, authorities began checking all other possible suspect packages.
Two UPS jets in Philadelphia that had flown in from Germany and France were moved away from terminal buildings. No explosives were found.
The East Midlands plane, which had been allowed to fly on to Newark, New Jersey, was also rechecked before being given the allclear. In Brooklyn, New York, police examined a package from a UPS lorry, but found nothing suspicious.
A spokesman for the Jewish Federation of Chicago said it was alerted early yesterday and had advised local synagogues to take security precautions.
There was a dispute over airline security earlier this week when senior figures in the industry said Britain should stop “kowtowing” to excessive US security demands.
The latest developments will only increase security measures, especially surrounding cargo planes. The threat level in Britain was raised from substantial to “severe” in March partly as a result of an increased threat from Yemen.
al qaida
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