Intelligence suggests terrorists are planning to use high explosives hidden under the skin which could be detonated when injected with another chemical. There are no details about a specific plot, but US officials have picked up suggestions that the method could be used against the West.
One senior Department of Homeland Security official said the intelligence surfaced about a month ago and appeared to be linked to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. ''The new intelligence indicated at least a fresh look at this possible tactic'' by the group, the official said.
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The "underpants bomber" .... Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab used PETN, an explosive US intelligence suggests terrorists may be planning to inject. ''These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same activity at every international airport,'' said Nick Kimball, a spokesman for the TSA.
The White House press secretary, Jay Carney, said security officials had been in contact with airlines and foreign transport authorities. ''Terrorists have been looking for other ways to circumvent security measures in order to target aircraft. It's not at all surprising,'' he said.
British officials believe that a man who tried to kill the Saudi deputy interior minister in August 2009, was carrying a bomb using PETN injected with lead azide. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a former student at University College London, used a similar device when he tried to blow up a plane approaching Detroit on Christmas Day, 2009.
Britain and the US have been on high alert for revenge attacks after US special forces killed Osama bin Laden in May.
Telegraph, London; The New York Times
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/world/terror-tactic-to-put-bomb-under-skin-20110707-1h4wq.html#ixzz1RUBWx82W
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