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Tighter security in place at Yemen airports after bomb plot

By the CNN Wire Staff
Airliners sit on the tarmac at Dubai airport Oct. 31, a day after a parcel bomb was intercepted in Dubai originating in Yemen.
Airliners sit on the tarmac at Dubai airport Oct. 31, a day after a parcel bomb was intercepted in Dubai originating in Yemen.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Suspected al Qaeda bomber Hassan al-Asiri is connected to the plot, an official says
  • Investigators see him as a link between Friday's devices and the 2009 underwear bomb

(CNN) -- Yemen's National Civil Aviation Security Committee said Monday it has implemented "tight security" at all of its airports in the aftermath of a plot to send bombs from Yemen to the United States.

"Every piece of cargo and luggage will go through extensive searching," the committee said in a statement.

In addition, carriers DHL, FedEx and UPS will be required to make more stringent checks before accepting any package, according to the committee.

'Most wanted' man linked to plot

On Friday, authorities in the United Arab Emirates and Britain found two packages with explosives that were destined for synagogues in Chicago, Illinois.

Video: Bombs meant to explode on planes
Video: Al Qaeda's perfect breeding ground
RELATED TOPICS
  • Yemen
  • Al Qaeda

U.S. investigators believe al Qaeda bomb maker al-Asiri, 28, is linked to the packages.

The explosive found in the packages, PETN, is the same as the material found in the December 2009 foiled underwear bomb attack in the United States.

It's a highly explosive organic compound that belongs to the same chemical family as nitroglycerin.

Six grams of PETN are enough to blow a hole in the fuselage of an aircraft.

Al-Asiri was also suspected in the earlier attempted bombing case, where a Nigerian man, Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, is accused of trying to set off a bomb hidden in his underwear on a flight.