DHS to Increase Airport Checks Over al-Qaeda Magazine Story

Latest Issue of AQAP's Magazine Tells How to Build Hidden Bomb

US officials say the Department of Homeland Security is planning to greatly ramp up the level of security checks at American airports in response to an article in the latest version of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) magazine Inspire.

The article, release at the end of December, explains how to create a “hidden bomb” from easily purchasable materials, and describes how to avoid existing security procedures.

The magazine said the instructions were a simplified version of the failed 2009 underwear bombing, and are meant to fuel “lone wolf” attacks across the West, particularly in the US.

The fact that the 2009 bombing didn’t work undoubtedly adds to questions about the seriousness of the threat, and the magazine explicitly says that even failed attempts would “bring terror to the West,” which is probably not a great endorsement for the accuracy of their instructions.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.