Dubai: A US-bound air parcel intercepted in Dubai contained a powerful explosive and mobile phone detonator as hallmarks of the Al Qaida terror network, Dubai Police said on Saturday.
Saif Al Suwaidi, director of the General Civil Aviation Authority, told Gulf News that the package arrived on Thursday and "had to remain [at the Dubai] airport for 24 hours in what is known as a cooling series in order for the package to be searched. "
Al Suwaidi said the package was discovered after 9pm on Thursday and was taken to a specialised Dubai Poice lab in order to deactivate the explosives.
Radio 2: Dubai Police issue a statement. Malak Harb reports
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In a statement, the Dubai Police said that the bomb was a complex and professional device made of PETN and lead - a highly explosive combination that can cause great damage.
"The investigation into the suspicious packages that came from Yemen... has shown that (one of them included) a computer printer whose ink contained explosive material," said a police statement.
"The device was prepared in a professional manner and equipped with an electrical circuit linked to a mobile telephone (SIM) card concealed in the printer.
"The manner in which this device was prepared bears the hallmarks of those used by terrorist organisations like Al Qaida," the statement added.
The Dubai Police - quoting experts - said the bomb found in the printer was PETN combined with lead to form a highly explosive device.
PETN, or Pentaerythritol tetranitrate, PETN, is the same substance used by two would-be bombers of US airliners.
PETN is a colourless explosive that is difficult to detect and a small amount can cause great damage.
Police said the bomb had been disarmed."Thanks to rapid intervention, the police in Dubai foiled a terrorist operation in the country where the package was destined," the statement said.
Radio 2: Explosives found on planes bound for the US. Malak Harb reports
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Emirates flight cleared
Despite increased aviation security measures as a result of the scare, an Emirates flight departed the JFK airport as normal, with just a five-minute delay, at 11:05pm, a spokesperson for the airline said on Saturday.
Emirates EK201 - scheduled to depart Dubai for JKF at 8:30am - is also operating as normal, along with flights to all other US destinations on the Emirates network.
"The safety of our passengers and crew is always of paramount importance and we are doing everything we can to assist authorities with the investigation," the spokesperson said.
Search for suspects starts
In Washington, the United States searched on Saturday for the culprits behind a plot to bomb Jewish targets in Chicago uncovered by the interception in Britain and Dubai of parcels with explosives sent from Yemen.
US President Barack Obama vowed on Friday that US authorities would spare no effort to find the source of the packages, which he called a "credible terrorist threat" aimed at two places of Jewish worship.
Obama said security would be increased for air travel for as long as necessary. US officials said they were searching for more packages that could have come from Yemen, which has become a haven for some anti-American militants.
"Initial examinations of those packages has determined that they do apparently contain explosive material," Obama said at a press briefing at the White House.
Same chemical used in underwear bomb plot
The New York Times reported that the packages contained PETN, the same chemical explosive used in the bomb sewn into the underwear of the Nigerian man who attempted to blow up an airliner over Detroit at Christmas, a plot hatched in Yemen.
The newspaper cited Representative Jane Harman, a Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, who was briefed by the Transportation Security Administration.
The improvised devices contained computer printer cartridges filled with the explosive, but one used a cell phone as a detonator and the other had a timer, she told the Times.
The White House said "both of these packages originated from Yemen" and Obama was informed of the threat on Thursday.
One of the packages was found on a United Parcel Service cargo plane at East Midlands Airport, north of London. The other was discovered at a FedEx Corp facility in Dubai.
UPS and FedEx, the world's largest cargo airline, said they were halting shipments from Yemen. UPS planes were searched and then cleared in New Jersey and Philadelphia.
One US official and some analysts speculated that the parcels may have been a test of cargo screening procedures and the reaction of security officials. "This may be a trial run," the US official said.
The White House said Saudi Arabia helped identify the threat from Yemen, while Britain and the United Arab Emirates also provided information.
Britain launches probe
In London, British authorities are probing whether a package from Yemen containing explosives found on a cargo jet bound for the United States was a "viable" bomb, Home Secretary Theresa May said on Saturday.
"At this stage I can say that the device did contain explosive material. But it is not yet clear that it was a viable explosive device. The forensic work continues," May said.
Britain is "urgently considering" new security measures for air cargo from Yemen following the discovery of the package and is "in discussion with industry contacts" over the issue, May said.
Radio 2: Air travel security is stepped up. Malak Harb reports
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Yemen to cooperate
For its part, the Yemeni government expressed astonishment at reports linking it to the packages but said in a statement it was cooperating with the US and international investigations.
The statement warned against "rush decisions in a case as sensitive as this one and before investigations reveal the truth."
Investigation
Authorities were investigating reports the parcels were bound for a synagogue and Jewish community centre in Chicago.
Citing law enforcement sources, the Anti-Defamation League said there was a threat to US Jewish institutions from packages mailed from Britain, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
"As an additional safety measure, FedEx has embargoed all shipments originating from Yemen," said Maury Lane, a spokesman for the world's largest cargo airline. "The package never was on a FedEx aircraft. We don't fly to Yemen."
In the United States, UPS planes were checked in New Jersey and Philadelphia. The Transportation Security Administration said they were searched "out of an abundance of caution."
The US Department of Homeland Security said it was increasing aviation security measures as a result of the scare.
The Yemeni embassy in Washington said "the Yemeni government launched a full-scale investigation. We are working closely with international partners - including the US - on the incident."
With input from agencies
