Al-Qaida Claims Responsibility for Cargo Bombs

“We say to Obama: ‘We pointed three attacks to your planes … and we will continue … to direct our attacks on American interests’.”

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Dry run may have preceded al-Qaida bomb plot (NBC Nightly News, Nov. 2, 2010) — The FBI is investigating whether al-Qaida terrorists in Yemen sent test packages to the U.S. in September to see how long it would take. NBC’s Justice Correspondent Pete Williams reports. (01:14)

The Associated Press, Reuters, and NBC via MSNBC.com
Nov. 6, 2010

The Yemeni branch of al-Qaida on Friday claimed responsibility for the two mail bombs sent from Yemen last week and for the downing of a cargo plane in Dubai in September.

A week after authorities intercepted cargo packages in Dubai and the United Kingdom that were bound for the U.S., Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula [AQAP] issued a message Friday saying it will continue to strike American interests.

Both mail bombs were wired to detonators that used cell phone technology….

In a message posted on Islamist Internet forums, the group also said it was responsible for the crash of a UPS cargo plane in Dubai on Sept. 3, though U.S. officials discount that claim, according to NBC News.

AQAP’s statement also blamed Saudi Arabia for tipping off security services and allowing them to intercept the bombs, addressed to two Chicago synagogues. …

The group also threatened more terror attacks.

“And we say to Obama: We pointed three attacks to your planes within one year, and we will continue, Allah-willing, to direct our attacks on the American interests and the interests of America’s allies,” the statement said. …

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Related report

France: Yemen bomb was 17 minutes from exploding

Video

Dangerous cargo (NBC Nightly News, Nov. 2, 2010) — PETN is the lethal material used in the failed cargo plane bomb plot. ITV’s Penny Marshall reports on what PETN is, how it can be detected and what happens if it isn’t. (02:11)

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Related reports on this site

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Hunt is on for Yemeni explosives architect (NBC Today, Nov. 2, 2010) — Authorities say 28-year-old Ibrahim al-Asiri built and shipped an array of explosive devices to the U.S. after masterminding last year’s Christmas Day underwear bomb plot and orchestrating a dry run of materials in September. NBC’s Richard Engel reports. (02:29)

Al-Qaida’s Low-Intensity / High-Frequency Strategy (Oct. 30, 2010)

Bin Laden Issues New Threat (Oct. 27, 2010)

Yemeni Clerics Threaten Jihad (Jan. 14, 2010)

Underwear Bomb: No Smoking Gun (Jan. 3, 2010)

Battle Lines Are Drawn in Yemen (Jan. 2, 2010)

Obama Opens Third War Front (Dec. 28, 2009)

Yemen Link in Airline Terror Plot (Dec. 26, 2009)

Christmas Terrorism Alert (Dec. 25, 2009)

Obama Fires Missiles into Yemen (Dec. 19, 2009)

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago — November 6, 2009

Taliban Holding U.S. Bodies

Sgt. Benjamin W. Sherman

One year ago today, I reported that two U.S. soldiers transporting supplies in Afghanistan were swept away by a river in Badghis province while trying to save two boxes that had fallen into the water while being airdropped during a resupply mission, and that the Taliban said they were holding their bodies.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: Two Years Ago — November 6, 2008

Obama Faces Daunting Challenges

President Barack Obama walks down the Colonnade of the White House on Sept. 1, 2009. (Photo credit: Michael Reynolds / EPA file)

Two years ago today, on Nov. 6, 2008, I noted that president-elect Barack Obama faced major foreign policy hurdles and provided a summary of intertwined issues Barack Obama inherited from George W. Bush.