Plastic explosives: Al-Qaeda-trained surgeons put the bomb in suicide bombers

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Published time: May 13, 2012 14:48
Edited time: May 13, 2012 18:51

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Middle East, Planes, Security, Terrorism, USA

The hunt is on for doctors implanting explosives in suicide bombers in Yemen. Security has been stepped up at airports worldwide as surgically-doctored terrorists plot revenge attacks following the one-year anniversary of Osama Bin Laden’s death.

The implanted bombs would be undetectable to airport body scanners, dramatically increasing the likelihood of a mid-flight terrorist attack, the Daily mail reports.

Experts say explosive compounds such as PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) could be inserted inside of would-be bombers.

The implanted explosives would then be detonated via injection.

A western security source is quoted by the Sunday Times as saying: “This is a transferable skill and there is still some concern.”

Western intelligence agencies fear doctors are currently working with Al-Qaeda’s chief bomb maker in Yemen, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, to realize his plans.

The CIA is now racing against the clock to catch the ‘body-bombers’ before they go off.

Al-Asiri’s bomb plots have had a particularly intimate touch in recent years.

He was responsible for sewing a packet of PETN into Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s underwear in the failed 2009 Christmas Day bombing on a US jetliner en route to Detroit. Al-Asiri also shoved a bomb up his brother Abdullah’s rectum in a botched 2009 suicide mission targeting Saudi intelligence chief Prince Muhammad bin Nayef.

Saudi fugitive and bomb maker Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri.(Reuters / Saudi Interior Ministry / Handout)

Al-Qaeda in Yemen is considered the group’s most dangerous off-shoot.

A would-be suicide bomber turned double-agent working with the group managed to get his hands on an updated version of al-Asiri’s underwear bomb last week. Saudi spooks planted the agent in al Qaeda’s Yemeni affiliate, who convinced his handlers to give him the bomb aimed at bringing down a US-bound flight.

The device is now in the possession of the FBI, which is currently analyzing it.

The latest non-metallic bomb would not set off metal detectors, but could be discovered by body scanners and more thorough security checks.

However, not all US airports are equipped with body scanners.

Comments (53)

mike (unregistered) 05.08.2012 22:33

@ One Soul: How do a few Muslims represent the whole religon? You abnormal baboon, instead of read about Islam what other who hate the religon have written, or judge by a few who are out on their own agendas, go learn the religon itself, and realize that 1.5 billion Muslims are peaceful otherwise you would be in your grave.

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harry (unregistered) 22.05.2012 01:50

Are not we humans pathetic and stupid.All this diversion ,while the 1% hoards all the wealth ,plays us off each other with fear and war,there is only the Working Class,and the Capital Controlling Class.Rather than organizing the Working Class to provide everyone with decent housing,free medical /dental,unemployment benefits ,free education,paid holidays,end poverty,end war ,end military spending,etc,etc,we shove bombs up our bottom holes and blow ourselves up???????

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One soul (unregistered) 17.05.2012 21:53

another wonderful innovation brought to you by our good old peace loving mulsim friends.
People need to wake up and realized that islam is the enemy of the whole free world. Israel is their number one hate, yes, but islam hates all those that oppose it. They dont care who they kill in the process, including other muslims. Its a scary religion, the more you learn about it the scarier it gets. And they call America evil, yeah right, mulsims religion is hate and death, they are the evil ones.

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