Terror Group Was Planning Toothpaste-Tube Bombs

This is the second time this year concerns have been raised about a toothpaste-tube bomb.

Flyers are learning more about the plans reportedly in development by the Khorasan Group, targeted this week by U.S. military forces. According to officials, the terrorist organization was developing plans to create new explosive devices that could be used on western commercial aircraft.

According to CNN, unnamed “senior U.S. officials” said Khorasan was working with experts to create intricate explosives out of non-metallic devices that could potentially be carried onto airplanes. The explosives could be disguised as hand-held electronics, toothpaste tubes and clothes dipped in explosive materials. While no targets were named, officials were still concerned that the testing would lead to an attempted attack.

“We believe the Khorasan Group was nearing the execution phase of an attack either in Europe or the [United States],” Lt. Gen. William Mayville, director of operations for the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CBS News. “We know that the Khorasan group has attempted to recruit Westerners to serve as operatives or to infiltrate back into their homelands.”

The Khorasan Group is a small Syria-based terror cell affiliated with al Qaeda, according to ABC.

According to the AP, intelligence officials identified Khorasan as a priority after discovering information that the group was testing explosive devices that could pass through western security standards. Despite the situation, the TSA and other security agencies have not yet announced new screening measures for flyers coming to the United States.

This is the second time that authorities have issued a warning against toothpaste tube bombs on flights this year. In February, CNN reported the Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin to U.S. airlines flying directly to Russia, warning that explosives could be smuggled in toothpaste tubes ahead of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

[Photo: iStock]