Intercepted AQAP parcel bombs revealed al-Qaeda's continued intent to strike US targets using cargo aircraft as weapons delivery systems.
Key Facts
- Date discovered
- October 29, 2010
- Explosive weight per bomb
- 300–400 grams of plastic explosives
- Packages found
- 2 (one at East Midlands Airport, one in Dubai)
- Origin of packages
- Yemen
- Intended targets
- Cargo planes over Chicago or another US city
- Responsible group
- Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, operating from Yemen, sought to destroy American and British cargo aircraft in mid-flight. Intelligence from Saudi Arabia's security services alerted authorities to the plot, which was attributed to AQAP operative Anwar al-Awlaki and master bomb-maker Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri.
On October 29, 2010, two packages containing improvised bombs made of 300–400 grams of plastic explosives each were intercepted at East Midlands Airport in the UK and in Dubai, UAE. The parcels had been shipped from Yemen aboard cargo planes and had already transited on passenger and cargo aircraft before discovery.
AQAP claimed responsibility one week later and also linked itself to the September 2010 crash of UPS Airlines Flight 6, though that crash was later found to be unrelated. The plot prompted increased scrutiny of air cargo security procedures in the United States and United Kingdom and highlighted AQAP's operational capabilities.