2006 transatlantic aircraft plot

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2006 transatlantic airline plot
Timeline
Suspects
Security Reaction

Image:2006-08-10 police raid walthamstow london uk-NOISEedit.jpg

The 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot was an alleged terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives carried on board several airliners travelling from the United Kingdom to the United States.<ref>Bob Sherwood and Stephen Fidler. MI5 tracked group for a year. Financial Times. Retrieved on August 11, 2006.</ref> Security measures were immediately put in place, and still largely remain, to ban the carriage of liquids substances of any kind onto planes, resulting in chaos and delayed flights for days.

Of the approximately twenty-five suspects who were arrested in and around London, eleven were charged with terrorism offences on 21 August, two on 25 August (subsequently discharged on 1 November), and a further three on August 30.

[edit] Characterization of the plot

[edit] Targeted flights

The Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Paul Stephenson, said that the plot aimed to destroy as many as ten aircraft in mid-flight from the United Kingdom to the United States, using explosives brought on board in the suspects' carry-on luggage.<ref name="BBC-disrupted">BBC News UK. 'Airlines terror plot' disrupted. BBC News UK. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref> News media reported that planned targets included American Airlines, British Airways, Continental Airlines, and United Airlines flights from Heathrow and Gatwick airports to Chicago; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; Newark, New Jersey; New York City; San Francisco, California; and Washington, D.C.<ref name="MSNBC-plot">MSNBC. U.K.: Plot to bomb US-bound planes foiled. MSNBC. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref> BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera[1] said the plot involved a series of simultaneous attacks, targeting three planes each time.<ref name="BBC-disrupted">BBC News UK. 'Airlines terror plot' disrupted. BBC News UK. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref> Reports vary regarding the number of planes involved, ranging from three to twelve.<ref name="NY Times">nytimes.com. British Authorities Arrest 21; U.S. Raises Threat Level. NY Times. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref><ref>'A Plot to commit Murder on an Unimaginable Scale' - The Guardian. August 10, 2006</ref> In a press release, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, said "multiple commercial aircraft" were targeted.<ref name="DHS-Chertoff">DHS.gov. Press Conference Remarks. DHS. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref> Some reports say the attacks were planned for August 16, but police say no evidence specifying the date has been found.<ref name="dmstrikedate">Day of terror strikes was planned for August 16. Daily Mail. Retrieved on August 11, 2006.</ref><ref name="TIMES-focus">Times Online. Focus: Terror in the skies. Times Online. Retrieved on August 13, 2006.</ref> British officials have since stated that the estimate of ten aircraft was "speculative and exaggerated."<ref name="blockednytarticle">Van Natta Jr., Don, Elaine Sciolino, Stephen Grey. "In Tapes, Receipts and a Diary, Details of the British Terror Case", New York Times, 2006-08-27. Retrieved on 2006-10-12.</ref>

[edit] Liquid explosives

According to several news sources, the plotters planned to use liquid explosives.<ref name="BBC-disrupted"/> The New York Times reported that the plotters planned to use Lucozade bottles to contain these explosives.<ref name="blockednytarticle"/> The plotters planned to leave the top of the bottle sealed and filled with the original beverage, but add a false bottom containing a liquid or gel explosive dyed red to match the sports drink in the top of the container.<ref>Richard Esposito. Explosive Gel Was to Be Concealed in Sports Drink. ABC News. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref>

It has been widely reported that the plotters planned to use peroxide-based explosives. One report suggests the plotters would use liquid explosives.<ref name="USNewsExplosives">usnews.com. Terror suspects planned to use liquid explosives to blow up planes. U.S.News. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref><ref>Jennifer Quinn Esposito. Terror plotters hoped to use peroxide explosive to blow up jets. San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref> United States authorities, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, named two peroxide-based liquid explosives that could be used: triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD). These peroxide-based liquid explosives "are sensitive to heat, shock, and friction, can be initiated simply with fire or electrical charge, and can also be used to produce improvised detonators."<ref> time.com</ref><ref>Electronpusher: Practical Chemistry</ref> According to The Guardian, police sources have confirmed that the plot involved TATP.<ref>Laville, Sandra. "Five key questions for anti-terror investigation", Guardian, 19 August 2006. Retrieved on 2006-10-13.</ref> According to the New York Times, the plotters wanted to use HMTD.<ref name="blockednytarticle"/>

[edit] Investigation and arrests

On 10 August British police arrested 25 suspects. 19 of the suspects had their finances frozen. 17 of the suspects were later charged with conspiracy to murder and commit acts of terrorism or failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism. Eight of the suspects were released without charge. Another seven suspects were arrested in Pakistan on charges related to the alleged plot.

The ongoing police investigation into the alleged plot has been named Operation Overt.

Police said they had been observing this plot for months, and that the "investigation reached a critical point [on 9 August 2006] when the decision was made to take urgent action in order to disrupt what we believe was being planned."<ref name="BBC-statements"/> An undercover British agent had infiltrated the group, according to American government sources.<ref name="CNN">CNN.com. Agent infiltrated terror cell, U.S. says. CNN. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref> United States Department of Homeland Security According to Franco Frattini, the European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, "the plotters received a very short message to 'Go now'."<ref name="blockednytarticle"/>

The arrests were made in London, Birmingham, and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire in an overnight operation. Two of the arrests were made in the Birmingham area, where firearms officers were not involved, and five were made in High Wycombe.<ref name ="BBC-suspects">BBC News. Night-time swoops on suspects. BBC News. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref> The key suspects are reported to be British-born Muslims, some of Pakistani descent.<ref>Times Online. A Plan 'to commit unimaginable mass murder'. Times Online. Retrieved on August 12, 2006.</ref><ref>The New York Times. British Authorities Say Plot to Blow Up Airliners Was Foiled. The New York Times. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref><ref name="BBC-disrupted"/> Three of the suspects are recent converts to Islam.<ref name ="BBC-suspects2">BBC News. Who are the terror plot suspects?. BBC News. Retrieved on August 11, 2006.</ref>

In a press conference, the United Kingdom's Home Secretary John Reid stated that he believed the key suspects in the plot were in custody, but did not rule out additional arrests.<ref>BBC.com. Police probe flights terror plot. BBC. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref> British police said they are searching for two additional people in connection with the investigation.<ref name="TIMES-focus"/> The DHS believes that there could have been as many as 50 people involved.<ref name name="CNN-TV">CNN (US TV)</ref>

Paul Beaver, a British terrorism expert, has said that it appears possible that the militant Islamic organisation al-Qaeda was behind the plot, which comes only weeks after the group threatened to attack British aviation.<ref>Reuters UK. Police say foil plot to bomb aircraft. Reuters UK. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref> DHS Secretary Chertoff stated the plot was "getting close to the execution phase", and that it was "suggestive of an al-Qaeda plot".<ref name="CNN-SecurityChief">CNN.com. Security chief: Airline terror plot 'close to execution'. CNN. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref> It was not clear from press releases when these attacks were to have been launched, and the New York Times has since reported that the plans were at an earlier stage than was initially stated.<ref name="blockednytarticle"/>

The New York Times has reported that seven martyrdom tapes made by six suspects were recovered.<ref name="blockednytarticle"/>

British authorities have carried out a total of 69 searches of residences, businesses, vehicles and open spaces, which have netted bomb-making equipment and chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke said on 21 August. "As well as the bomb-making equipment, we have found more than 400 computers, 200 mobile telephones and 8,000 items of removable storage media such as memory sticks, CDs and DVDs," he said. "So far, from the computers alone, we have removed some 6,000 gigabytes of data." It will take "many months" for investigators to analyze all of the data, he said.<ref name=CNN-08-22>Air plot suspects appear in court CNN</ref>

The prosecutor, Colin Gibbs, has said that the trial would not realistically start until at least January 2008 and would last between five and eight months.<ref name=IOL090406>IOL. Eight in Court over 'plot'. IOL. Retrieved on September 4, 2006.</ref>

[edit] Disagreement over timing of arrests

NBC News reported disagreement between the United States and Britain over when to make the arrests. According to NBC News, a senior British official contended that an attack was not imminent, noting that the suspects had not yet purchased airline tickets and some did not even have passports; he urged that the investigation continue to collect more evidence. The report noted that this official's statement was contrary to statements by other British officials previously reported in the press. The same source also told NBC News that the United States had threatened to use extraordinary rendition upon suspected ringleader Rashid Rauf in Pakistan, or to pressure the Pakistan government to arrest him, if he were not immediately taken into custody. According to the same report, a United States official acknowledged this disagreement over the timing of arrests and that a British official believed that an attack was not imminent. However, Frances Townsend, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, denied the report of a dispute: "There was no disagreement between US and UK officials."<ref name="msnbc 14320452">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14320452/ MSNBC, U.S., UK at odds over timing of arrests</ref>

[edit] Pakistan's role in the terror plot

Initial reactions praised Pakistan's assistance in stopping the plot before its execution. However, later press reports have questioned Pakistan's claimed commitment to the War on Terrorism.

Other press reports that the alleged bombers were funded by "charities" intended to help victims of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.<ref>QUAKE AID RIPPED OFF Sunday Mail</ref> The FBI and Scotland Yard are investigating links to Kashmir terrorists and the flow of money to the conspirators.<ref>Quake relief funneled?</ref> Pakistan and international press also reported that Rashid Rauf, the key player in the plot, had links with the Jaish-e-Mohammed, a kashmir terrorist outfit banned by several countries.<ref>Airline plot suspect linked with Jaish - Dawn (newspaper), 'Plane plot' man linked to Islamic militant group</ref> Media reports state that he has close family ties to Maulana Masood Azhar,<ref>Exclusive: A Kashmiri Tie to the Terror Plot - TIME</ref> one of the most wanted criminals in India.

In Pakistan, law enforcement authorities continued to interrogate Rashid Rauf, a Briton of Pakistani descent, over his alleged key role in the plot, officials told The Associated Press August 22. Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said British police were conducting inquiries in Pakistan but were not involved in questioning Rauf.<ref name=CNN-08-22>Air plot suspects appear in court CNN</ref> The UK Foreign Office is seeking Rauf's extradition from Pakistan, and it has been reported that Pakistan plans to accept the request.<ref>[2]</ref>

[edit] Sceptics' responses to the arrests

Several commentators expressed scepticism over the allegations.<ref>Five key questions for anti-terror investigation, Guardian, 19 August 2006.</ref><ref>Why we must pray this man is telling us the truth, The Daily Mail, 16 August 2006.</ref><ref>London Terror Plot: Skepticism Surrounding Handling of the Crisis, Voice of America, 18 August 2006.</ref><ref>Bomb Plot Evidence 'Immense,' British Say, Los Angeles Times, 22 August 2006.</ref> Many mentioned the Forest Gate raid, the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes and the Iraq War, all based on intelligence that turned out to be wrong, as reasons for their doubts.<ref>Scepticism is needed, The Guardian, 14 August 2006.</ref><ref>Past blunders put pressure on police to make case stick, Times Online, 12 August 2006</ref> Muslim sections of the British population were also reportedly sceptical that the plot was carried out by other Muslims.<ref>Muslims skeptical of airline terror plot - MSN, 11 August 2006.</ref>

Former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray was sceptical of the account of the plot. He based his criticism on the assumptions that "None of the alleged terrorists had made a bomb. None had bought a plane ticket. Many did not have passports." He also suggested that suspected ringleader Rashid Rauf invented the plot under torture in Pakistan.<ref>Be skeptical about UK's terror alert, says former ambassador, IRNA, 08/18/06 </ref>

The Register ran a story on the practicalities of producing TATP on board an airplane from constituent liquids and concluded that, while theoretically possible, the chances of success would be extremely low. <ref> Mass murder in the skies: was the plot feasible? Thomas C Greene (link) The Register | August 17 2006</ref>

On September 18, Lieutenant-Colonel (ret.) Nigel Wylde, a former senior British Army Intelligence Officer with decades of anti-terror and explosives experience, declared the plot to be 'fiction'. He said the explosives in question could not possibly have been produced on the plane. "So who came up with the idea that a bomb could be made on board? Not Al Qaeda for sure. It would not work. Bin Laden is interested in success not deterrence by failure," Wylde stated. He further suggested that the plot was an invention of the UK security services in order to justify wide-ranging new security measures that threaten to permanently curtail civil liberties and to suspend sections of the United Kingdom's Human Rights Act of 1998.<ref>Sources: August terror plot is a 'fiction' underscoring police failures, Nafeez Ahmed, (link), The Raw Story, September 18, 2006</ref> Due to the mountain of evidence, including forensic material, he expected the men to face "a very long trial of (between) five and eight months."

[edit] Political reaction

Prior to the arrests, the plot was discussed at a high level of government, with Prime Minister Tony Blair knowing about it for months, and alerting President George Bush to the investigation on Sunday 6 August.<ref name="guardianforewarn">guardian. Blair forewarned. guardian. Retrieved on August 11, 2006.</ref>

On 9 August, hours before the arrests, the Home Secretary John Reid gave a major speech to Demos (a British think-tank) hinting at a new round of anti-terror legislation and claiming that the country was facing "probably the most sustained period of severe threat since the end of the second world war".<ref name="Demos-Reid">DHS.gov. Anti-terror critics just don't get it. guardian. Retrieved on August 11, 2006.</ref> The following day Reid broke the news along with Douglas Alexander, the Transport Secretary.<ref name="Reid statement">BBC. Reid statement. BBC. Retrieved on August 12, 2006.</ref>

In the United States, the announcement was made during a joint press conference by the head of the Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, the Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and the Director of the FBI Robert Mueller. Chertoff refused to be drawn on questions about the design of the devices or whether any bombs had actually been built.<ref name="DHS-Chertoff">DHS.gov. Press Conference Remarks. DHS. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref>

On the same day, President George Bush commented upon arrival in Wisconsin: "The recent arrests that our fellow citizens are now learning about are a stark reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation."<ref name="Reid statement">whitehouse.gov. Bush statement. whitehouse.gov. Retrieved on August 12, 2006.</ref>

On 12 August, British Muslim groups sent an open letter to the Prime Minister, stating that "current British government policy risks putting civilians at increased risk both in the UK and abroad."<ref name="UK Muslim letter">BBC. Full text: Muslim groups' letter. BBC. Retrieved on August 12, 2006.</ref> Many such groups and even certain sectors of UK government<ref name="Guardian Unlimited">Mark Townsend. Official: Iraq war led to July bombings. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved on August 12, 2006.</ref> have suggested that (among other factors) the foreign policy position of the United Kingdom in places such as Palestine, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq is to a large extent responsible for the increasing radicalisation of young Muslims in the UK, thus promoting the possibility of actions like the July 7th London bombings. The letter also states "Attacking civilians is never justified", and encourages the UK to reassess its foreign policy in order to maintain the safety of individuals both in the UK and abroad. In interviews with the BBC, John Reid described the letter as "a dreadful misjudgement", and former Conservative leader Michael Howard described it as "a form of blackmail".<ref name="Muslim letter reaction">BBC. Muslim letter 'misjudged' - Reid. BBC. Retrieved on August 13, 2006.</ref>

On 13 August, Michael O'Leary, the chief executive of Ryanair, claimed that the chaos at airports meant that the terrorists were achieving their aims.<ref name="Ryanair_Anger">Airlines accuse BA of failing to cope. Independent. Retrieved on August 15, 2006.</ref> On 25 August, O'Leary announced plans to sue the British Government over the disruption to his business.<ref>[3]</ref>

[edit] Security reaction

Main article: 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot security reaction

In the immediate aftermath of the first arrests, passenger rules were amended for flights between the United States and the UK to make all liquids (apart from baby milk) forbidden, including beverages, hair gels, toothpaste, lipstick, sunscreen, and hand lotions, due to the suspicion that liquids were planned to be used in the attacks. Since passengers may purchase beverages after passing regular airport checkpoints, gate checkpoints were also implemented at many American airports, such as Boston Logan.<ref name="Fox-TV">Fox News (U.S. TV)</ref> In addition, all non-essential hand luggage was banned on all flights from the UK.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4790555.stm</ref>

[edit] United Kingdom

Following the raids, the terror alert level was raised by Britain's Joint Terrorist Analysis Centre from 'severe' to 'critical', signalling an attack was believed to be imminent, although this was only done after the raid.<ref name="MSNBC-plot"/> On 14 August 2006 the threat level was reduced from 'Critical' to 'Severe'.<ref>MI5 Threat Level as of August 14 2006, 00:35</ref>

In the immediate aftermath of the raids, no hand luggage (carry-on luggage) was allowed except for a very few essentials such as travel documents and wallets. Hand baggage was reintroduced at some smaller airports on 14 August, but was not permitted at Heathrow and Gatwick Airports until 15 August. The restriction of baggage size was rextricted to 45cm x 35cm x 16cm but this was changed to 56cm x 45cm x 25cm as of September 22 2006.<ref>ews.bbc.co.uk</ref>

[edit] United States

Following the operation, United States Homeland Security banned all liquids and gels except baby formula and prescription medications in the name of the ticket holder in carry-on luggage on all flights.<ref name="CNN-foiled">CNN News. 'Police: Plot to blow up aircraft foiled. CNN News. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref> The DHS level in the United States was raised to 'severe' (red) for all flights from the UK. The terror level for all other domestic or non-British international flights in the United States was raised to High (orange).

As of 13 August 2006, airline passengers in the United States can take up to four ounces of non-prescription medicine, glucose gel for diabetics, solid lipstick, and baby food aboard flights. All aerosols are prohibited and the TSA now demands that passengers remove their shoes so they may be X-rayed before boarding.

[edit] Other countries

The heightened security levels affected many other countries across the world, both directly and indirectly.

[edit] Impact

Main article: 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot security reaction

Overall, an estimated 400,000 passengers were affected because of the alerts. It has been estimated that the first day of delays cost the airlines over £175 million.^{[citation needed]}

As many as 20,000 bags are believed to have been misplaced at Heathrow.<ref> BBC News UK. BA back to normal in 48 hours. BBC News UK. Retrieved on August 22, 2006.</ref>

[edit] Flight cancellations on the 10th August

Some inbound flights to London Heathrow Airport were cancelled on the day of the arrests, most notably the Thursday short-haul flights of British Airways. Some flights to and from London Gatwick Airport were also suspended,<ref>BBC News UK. Travel chaos grips UK's airports. BBC News UK. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref> although US Airways flights continued flying normally from Gatwick according to the airline's helpline.

[edit] Service resumption

Image:IMG 2558 Tents exterior Heathrow 14 august 2006.JPG

A few hours after the beginning of the confusion, aircraft began to fly out of London Heathrow, although not at the usual level of more than one per minute. The situation remained chaotic with huge queues of passengers waiting to check-in and get through the strengthened security procedures, and reports of some aircraft leaving Heathrow airport with only transit passengers aboard.

On Sunday 13 August 30% of flights out of Heathrow were cancelled to reduce pressure on the screeners.<ref>Nick Mathiason, Oliver Morgan and Rob Sharp. BA criticises Heathrow as travel mayhem grows. The Observer. Retrieved on August 13, 2006.</ref> By 15 August flight cancellations had fallen to 47 flights at Heathrow, and 8 Ryanair flights from Stansted. It was reported by BA that 10,000 items of baggage belonging to their passengers had gone missing. It was anticipated that cancellations would reduce on 16 August, with 90% of flights expected to depart as scheduled.<ref>BBC. Bags misplaced at Airports. BBC News Online. Retrieved on August 15, 2006.</ref>

[edit] Controversy over the alert

On 12 August a public argument broke out between BAA, the operator of Heathrow and other airports, and British Airways, with Willie Walsh, BA's Chief Executive, accusing BAA of not being able to cope with the increased security and baggage checks. Ryanair also called on the British government to employ police and military reservists to speed up the full body searches which were now mandated.^{[citation needed]}

On 18 August Ryanair's O'Leary delivered an ultimatum to the British government demanding the resumption of normal hand baggage dimensions and hand screening one passenger in four instead of one in two within one week, otherwise Ryanair would sue the Government for compensation under section 93 of the Transport Act 2000. The government responded that the actions were taken under the Aviation Security Act 1982, and no compensation was payable.<ref>BBC. Ryanair issues luggage ultimatum. BBC News Online. Retrieved on August 18, 2006.</ref>

Carolyn Evans, head of flight safety at the British Airline Pilots Association, said that "the procedures put in place are not sustainable long term, and unless the passengers are treated more reasonably we will not have an industry left".<ref>Are we really at risk from snacks on a plane?, Sunday Herald, 20 August 2006</ref>

[edit] Economic effects

The Times commented the day after the arrests, that the economic effects were minor and that the FTSE 100 index showed only "mild signs of strain", suggesting that terror was already priced into assets, that the market impact will be contained, and that "what is lost on the swings may be gained on the roundabouts". It observed that the real commercial risk is that "people's behaviour is altered... change may come so subtly and subconsciously that it is hard to see, let alone measure... people may stop travelling for example, not because they are scared of being blown up, but because they are tired of complying with necessary security measures."<ref> The Times paper edition August 11 2006, p.45, terror may already be priced into values</ref>

Estimates have also been made of the cost to airlines of their disrupted business. British Airways had to cancel 1280 flights, at a cost of £40 million.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5316920.stm</ref> Ryanair had to cancel 500 flights,^{[citation needed]} and are suing the UK government for the £3.3 million the cancellations cost them.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5285102.stm</ref> Easyjet had to cancel 469 flights, at a cost of about £4 million.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5323082.stm</ref> BAA says the alert cost them £13 million.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5338080.stm</ref>

BA is considering making a claim for compensation against BAA, which operates Heathrow, for its failure to provide adequate security services and shortages of personnel during the crisis.^{[citation needed]}

Air passengers also switched to other means of travel, including Sea France ferries operating from Dover to Calais,<ref>[4]</ref> and Eurostar.<ref name="Independent_Switching">passengers switching to other means of travel. Independent. Retrieved on August 15, 2006.</ref>

In November 2006, BA claimed the increased security measures since August had cost it £100 million.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6112252.stm</ref>

[edit] Other responses

British Prime Minister Tony Blair was on holiday during these events, but decided not to return to Britain. Blair had been notified of the raid prior to its occurrence, and kept in constant contact with officials. He briefed President George W. Bush about the raid overnight.<ref>10 Downing Street. PM pays tribute to police and security services. 10 Downing Street. Retrieved on August 10, 2006.</ref>
Britain's Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, nominally running the UK government during Tony Blair's holiday, paid tribute to the way the UK reacted to what he called an "extraordinary past 36 hours ... in the efforts to protect this country". He expressed his "deepest appreciation" to the "real dedication" shown by security services, police, transport staff and aviation companies and praised Home Secretary Dr John Reid and Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander. Prescott added that the British public had acted "calmly, sensitively and with great patience."<ref>BBC News. UK threat level remains critical. BBC News. Retrieved on August 11, 2006.</ref>

[edit] See also

Oplan Bojinka, which included a similar plot to destroy airliners over the Pacific Ocean in 1995 using liquid explosives.
Northwest Airlines Flight 327, where some passengers mistook a group of Syrian musicians for Al-Qaeda terrorists.
Philippine Airlines Flight 434, a test run for Operation Bojinka, in which a passenger was killed by a liquid explosive taken aboard in hand luggage.
List of terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom
September 11, 2001 attacks, the terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001.
American Airlines Flight 63, the target of a failed bombing attempt in December 2001.
Pan Am Flight 103 and Air India Flight 182, transatlantic flights destroyed in-flight by explosives.
China Northern Flight 6136, a flight brought down in May 2002 caused by a passenger starting a fire on-board with motor fuel.
Korean Air Flight 858, a flight brought down in November 1987 by explosives concealed as liquor bottles.