Al-Qaeda’s foiled bomb plots

Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the CIA and foreign intelligence agencies have foiled a series of plots by al-Qaeda and its affiliates to blow up airplanes in the United States and Europe.

5 Seconds

00:00

Oct. 31, 2010

This undated image released by Yemen's Interior Ministry shows Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, who is the top bomb maker for al-Qaeda's Yemen branch. American officials believe Asiri's latest bomb was designed to be smuggled on to a U.S.-bound aircraft last month. The FBI has a fingerprint and forensic evidence linking al-Qaeda’s top bomb maker in Yemen to both the attempted Christmas Day airline attack in 2009 and the nearly successful attack on the cargo planes.

/ AP

May 8, 2012

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, shown here joined by India’s foreign minister in New Delhi, says the al-Qaeda airline plot indicates that terrorists are searching for more perverse and terrible ways to kill people. According to U.S. officials, the CIA and overseas intelligence partners disrupted an al-Qaeda plot to blow up civilian aircraft using an advanced explosive device designed by the terrorist network’s affiliate in Yemen.

Adnan Abidi / Reuters

Jan. 30, 2003

Richard Reid was sentenced to life in prison for attempting to blow up American Airlines Flight 63 with a bomb in his shoes on Dec. 22, 2001. Reid, center, is shown leaving federal court in Boston.

Brian Snyder / Reuters

Feb. 7. 2002

This undated photo released shows one of the shoes worn by Richard Reid. Reid, a British Muslim, was sentenced to life in prison for trying to explode a bomb hidden in his shoes on a Paris-Miami flight in 2001.

/ AFP

Jan. 18, 2002

Richard Reid appears in U.S. District Court, in this courtroom sketch, in Boston.

Constance Pratt / AP

February 2005

A photo released by Britain's Metropolitan Police shows Saajid Mohammed Badat, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to blow up a U.S.-bound aircraft in 2001. Badat had an identical device to the one used by Richard Reid.

Metropolitan Police / AP

Oct. 4, 2004

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announces that Saajid Mohammed Badat has been charged with conspiring and aiding convicted "shoe bomber" Richard Reid. U.S. authorities brought charges against the British man they claim conspired with admitted al-Qaeda member Reid to use shoe bombs to blow up planes in midair.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

Aug. 12, 2006

Aircraft wait on the tarmac at London's Heathrow Airport after a disruption caused by a plot to bring down as many as 10 airliners with innocent-looking liquid explosives.

Alastair Grant / AP

Dec. 28, 2009

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, who was traveling with a valid U.S. visa, was overpowered by passengers and crew on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit on Dec. 25, 2009, after setting alight an explosive device attached to his underwear.

/ Reuters

Dec. 28, 2009

In this handout government image provided by ABC News, the underwear with the explosive worn by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is all that remains of a failed attempt to down a Northwest Airlines flight over Detroit in 2009. Al-Qaeda took credit for the attempted bombing, boasted of its ability to overcome U.S. intelligence and airport security, and promised new attacks.

/ Getty Images

Jan. 8, 2010

This courtroom drawing shows Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab at his hearing in Detroit federal court.

Verna Sadock / AP

Oct. 30, 2010

This undated photo released by Dubai police purportedly shows parts of a computer printer with explosives loaded into its toner cartridge found in a package onboard a cargo plane coming from Yemen, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dubai police say the bomb, discovered in the ink cartridge of a computer printer in a shipment of air cargo from Yemen bound for the United States, contained the powerful explosive PETN and bore the hallmarks of al-Qaeda.

/ AP

Oct. 29, 2010

After being informed about potentially explosive materials being shipped from Yemen in a cargo plane, British police searched the plane and the cargo containers at the East Midlands airport in Derby, England.

Tim Hales / AP

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

epa03708924 Franziska (C) wears a helmet and carries a shield during the recreation of The Battle of the Teutoburg Museum in Bramsche, Germany, 20 May 2013. The everyday life of Romans and the Germanic people is depicted at Museum Park Kalkriese during the Romans and Germanic people days. EPA/Friso Gentsch

Photos of the day

Battle of Teutoburg Forest reenactment, Mars Curiosity rover drilling, massive tornado strikes Moore, Oklahoma and more.

A Burrowing owl tries to perch on a protective rope in a public park in Cooper City, Fla. Monday, May 20, 2013 as rain falls. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Animal views

Fun and fascinating creatures around the world.

ANNAPOLIS, MD - MAY 20: The Herndon Monument Climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the United States Naval Academy. The plebes climb to the top of the lard-covered 21 foot high monument and remove the 'dixie cup' hat at the top replacing it with an upperclassman's hat. After completing this, the freshmen are called 'fourth class midshipmen.' This class completed the task in 1 hour 32 minutes and 43 seconds. The hat was placed by Patrick Lien from Orlando. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

The Herndon Climb

The Herndon Monument climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the U.S. Naval Academy.

This combination of Associated Press photos shows left, a neighborhood in Moore, Okla., in ruins on Tuesday, May 4, 1999, after a tornado flattened many houses and buildings in central Oklahoma, and right, flattened houses in Moore on Monday, May 20, 2013. Monday's powerful tornado in suburban Oklahoma City loosely followed the path of a killer twister that slammed the region in May 1999. (AP Photo)

Okla. tornado loosely followed path of 1999 twister

Monday’s powerful tornado in suburban Oklahoma City loosely followed the path of a killer twister that slammed the area in May 1999.

Lea Bessinger salvages a picture of Jesus as she and her son Josh Bessinger sort through the rubble of the elder Bessinger's tornado-ravaged home Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Moore, Okla. A huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb Monday, flattening an entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Tornado near Oklahoma City causes more damage

Rescue workers are searching for survivors after a twister carved a long path of destruction in a suburb of Oklahoma City. It was part of the...

FILE - In this undated publicity file photo, members of the Doors, from left, John Densmore, Robbie Krieger, Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison, pose for a portrait. Manzarek, the keyboardist who was a founding member of The Doors, has died at 74. Publicist Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald says in a news release that Manzarek died Monday, May 20, 2013, at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, surrounded by his family. (AP Photo, File)

Ray Manzarek, founding member of the Doors, dies at 74

Manzarek co-founded the Doors after meeting then-poet Jim Morrison in California. The band went on to become one of the most successful rock-and-roll...

US actress Rosario Dawson smiles on May 20, 2013 as she arrives for the screening of the film 'Wara No Tate' (Shield of Straw) presented in Competition at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. Cannes, one of the world's top film festivals, opened on May 15 and will climax on May 26 with awards selected by a jury headed this year by Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLIALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images

Eye on entertainment

Rosario Dawson, Alec Baldwin, Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Bow Wow, Amy Poehler and more.

A man walks on sulphur and mineral salt formations near Dallol in the Danakil Depression, northern Ethiopia April 22, 2013. The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is one of the hottest and harshest environments on earth, with an average annual temperature of 94 degrees Fahrenheit (34.4 Celsius). For centuries, merchants have travelled there with caravans of camels to collect salt from the surface of the vast desert basin. The mineral is extracted and shaped into slabs, then loaded onto the animals before being transported back across the desert so that it can be sold around the country. Picture taken April 22, 2013. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (ETHIOPIA - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

ATTENTION EDITORS: PICTURE 2 OF 30 FOR PACKAGE 'ETHIOPIA'S ANCIENT SALT TRAIL'
SEARCH 'DANAKIL DEPRESSION' FOR ALL

Ethiopia’s salt trail

For centuries, merchants have traveled to Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression with caravans of camels to collect salt from the surface of the vast desert basin. The mineral is extracted...

Back to Previous Gallery

Discussion Policy | FAQ | About Discussions

Comments

Add your comment

Read what others are saying About Badges

SuperFan Badge

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

More about badges | Request a badge

Culture Connoisseur Badge

Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.

More about badges | Request a badge

Fact Checker Badge

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

More about badges | Request a badge

Washingtologist Badge

Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Writer Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum Badge

Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Weather Watcher Badge

Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.

More about badges | Request a badge

World Watcher Badge

World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Contributor Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badges

Get a badge

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.