Bomb was flown on passenger planes

One of the two parcel bombs posted in Yemen was transported on two separate passenger planes before it was discovered, Qatar Airlines has confirmed. Skip related content

Related photos / videos

Bomb was flown on passenger planes Enlarge photo

The explosive device travelled from the Yemeni capital Sana'a to Doha International Airport before being loaded into another plane and on to Dubai.

The devices, understood to contain the powerful explosive material PETN, were found in Dubai and at East Midlands Airport on Friday, after a tip off from Saudi intelligence. UK investigators at first declared the device at East Midlands "safe" before carrying out a re-examination as a "precaution".
Meanwhile, US officials have said Saudi-born bomb-maker, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, is the prime suspect for constructing the devices. Al-Asiri is also believed to have been responsible for making the device involved in the failed Christmas Day bomb plot over Detroit last year.
Qatar Airways said in a statement on their website: "The explosives discovered were of a sophisticated nature whereby they could not be detected by S-ray screening or trained sniffer dogs. The explosives were only discovered after an intelligence tip off."
The difficulty of detecting the devices was also raised in the UK.
Lord Carlile, who reviews the Government's anti-terrorism legislation, told the BBC: "The one weakness I would identify from what we must regard as a success in recent days is that the technical equipment used at East Midlands Airport apparently did not detect the explosives at the first attempt. So we must have a look at the technology to ensure that it's absolutely up-to-date."
Home Secretary Theresa May the terrorists would not have known exactly where the deadly device was to strike. She also appeared to pour cold water on calls for security to be loosened for air travellers, insisting there was a "battle" going on with terrorists and it was "important" to have rigorous checks.
Yemeni police later released Hanan al-Samawi, 22, a female computer engineering student suspected of mailing the packages. She was detained after her telephone number appeared on one of the packages. Police said the release was conditional and she could still be taken in for further questioning.
According to a Yemeni security official, at least five other suspects have been arrested and interrogated over who might be behind the mail bombs and a number of employees of the shipping companies, including two from FedEx, are being investigated.