| Date: 08/05/2012 Time: 10:55:00 PM |
Following a thwarted plot by Al-Qaeda to attack
a US-bound airliner, the Obama administration on Tuesday said remnants of the
militant group remain "resilient and remain a threat".
Al-Qaeda's latest plot to attack the United States involved an explosive
device similar to the one used by the infamous "underwear bomber", US
officials confirmed Tuesday.
The Obama administration said it had foiled an attack by Al-Qaeda in the
Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) located in Yemen.
"We've dealt major blows against Al-Qaeda over the past two years, but
remnants of Al-Qaeda do remain resilient and do remain a threat, whether they
be in Yemen, Pakistan or elsewhere," State department spokesman Mark Toner
said in a press briefing.
The White House said it was pleased with the success of its intelligence
and counterterrorism officials to dismantle the plot. President Barack Obama
was made aware of the situation in April and was regularly briefed by his
security advisers.
"At no time were Americans in danger as a result of this and we were able
to foil the attempt to use this device," White House spokesman Jay Carney told
the press.
The plot by Al-Qaeda in Yemen to blow up a US-bound airliner was thwarted
by a spy allied with the CIA who infiltrated the group and took the explosive
for the attack to Saudi Arabia, ABC News reported Tuesday.
The spy is now "safely out of Yemen," an unnamed "international
intelligence official" told ABC.
The mole had links to the Central Intelligence Agency and several other spy
services, according to the report. |