Allegedly Attempted To Place An Explosive Device Aboard An Etihad Airways Flight

Two men have been charged by Australian authorities with trying to place a bomb aboard an Etihad Airways flight departing from Sydney, Australia last month. Police said that the plot, which was unsuccessful, was directed by ISIS.

According to a report appearing in Time Magazine, one of the men, a 49-year-old Sydney resident, had brought the IED to the airport in a suitcase he had asked his brother to carry on the flight. The brother reportedly had know knowledge of what the bag contained.

For a reason that is still not known, the bag did not make it past the check-in counter. Instead, the suspect left the airport with the bomb while the brother boarded the flight without it.

The second man charged is 32 years old, according to the report, and a third remains in custody. A fourth man who was arrested in a series of raids in Sydney last weekend was released without being charged. The brother has not been charged in connection with the plot, as it is believed he had no knowledge of what he was being asked to place in the hold of the plane.

The components of the IED were sent by a senior ISIS member to the men charged in the plot via air cargo from Turkey. They were then instructed in how to assemble the bomb, which has been recovered by police.

Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Michael Phelan told reporters that the plot "is one of the most sophisticated ... that has ever been attempted on Australian soil. If it hadn't been for the great work of our intelligence agencies and law enforcement over a very quick period of time, then we could well have a catastrophic event in this country."

(Image from file)

FMI: Original Report