In 2012, the CIA intercepted a plot by al-Qaida’s affiliate in Yemen to destroy a US-bound airliner operating a bomb with a new design about the first anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden, according to the Associated Press. US officials stated the plot involved an “upgrade” of the undergarments bomb that failed to detonate aboard a jetliner over Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009. This new bomb was also assembled to be used in a passenger’s underwear but included a more refined detonation system.

The operation developed even as the White House and Department of Homeland Security assured the American public that they understood of no al-Qaida plots against the US around the anniversary of bin Laden’s death. The AP understood about the thwarted plot last week but agreed to White House and CIA orders not to publish it immediately because the sensitive intelligence process was still underway. 

Caitlin Hayden, the deputy National Security Council spokeswoman, stated in a statement that Obama was first notified about the plot in April by his homeland security adviser John Brennan and was informed that it did not pose a threat to the public. She stated: “The disruption of this IED plot underscores the necessity of remaining vigilant against terrorism here and abroad. The president thanks all intelligence and counterterrorism professionals involved for their outstanding work and for serving with the extraordinary skill and commitment that their enormous responsibilities demand.”

It’s not obvious who built the bomb, but, because of its complexity and its resemblance to the Detroit bomb, authorities guessed it was the work of master bomb maker Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri. Al-Asiri constructed the first underwear bomb and two others that al-Qaida built into printer cartridges and shipped to the US on cargo planes in 2010. Both of those bombs employed a powerful industrial explosive.

The operation was an intelligence success for the United States and a reminder of al-Qaida’s ambitions, despite the demise of bin Laden and other senior leaders. Because of instability in the Yemeni government, the terrorist group’s chapter there has gained territory and strength. It has set up terrorist bases and, in some areas, even serves as a de facto government.

But along with the progress, there also have been losses. The body has suffered significant setbacks as the CIA and the US military focus more on Yemen. Fahd al-Quso, a senior al-Qaida leader, was shot by a missile as he stepped out of his vehicle along with another detective in the southern Shabwa province of Yemen.

Al-Quso, 37, was on the FBI’s most wanted checklist, with a $5m reward for info leading to his capture. He was indicted in the US for his position in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in the harbour of Aden, Yemen, in which 17 American sailors were slain and 39 injured. Al-Quso was supposed to have replaced Anwar al-Awlaki as the group’s head of external operations.