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.
