The world's dreaded terrorist group Al Qaeda has developed a new tactic that allows suicide bombers to breach even the tightest security, says a CBS News report.
CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar reports that the terrorists have learnt this trick from drug smugglers who carry their contraband inside the body to avoid detection.
The Al Qaeda bombers first tried it out inside a Saudi palace in August in order to kill Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef, head of Saudi Arabia's counter terrorism operations.
To get his bomb into this room, Abdullah Asieri, one of Saudi Arabia's most wanted men, avoided detection by two sets of airport security including metal detectors and palace security. He spent 30 hours in the close company of the prince's own secret service agents - all without anyone suspecting a thing.
Taking a trick from the narcotics trade - which has long smuggled drugs in body cavities - Asieri had a pound of high explosives, plus a detonator inserted in his rectum. This was a meticulously planned operation with al Qaeda once again producing something new: this time, the Trojan bomber.
The blast left the prince lightly wounded - a failure as an assassination, but as an exercise in defeating security, it was perfect. The bomber persuaded the prince he wanted to leave al Qaeda, setting a trap.
Al Qaeda has an animated movie showing the meeting between the bomber and the prince. Asieri says more senior al Qaeda figures want to surrender and convinces the prince to talk to them on a cell phone.
In the conversation recorded by al Qaeda, you hear a beep in the middle of two identical phrases that are repeated by the bomber and his handler.
Explosives experts tell CBS News that beep was likely a text message activating the bomb concealed inside Asieri. The Trojan bomber hands the phone to Prince Mohammed. He's standing next to him, and 14 seconds later, he detonates.
"This is the nightmare scenario," said Chris Yates, an aviation security consultant. On a plane at altitude, the effects of such a bomb could be catastrophic. And there is no current security system that could stop it.
"Absolutely nothing other than to require people to strip naked at the airport," said Yates. And al Qaeda says it will share its new technique via the Internet very soon. There is nothing that can stop that either. You can watch this video on Youtube too.
Abdullah Asieri alias Abdullah Hassan Al Aseery is a Saudi member of Al Qaeda. He first rose to prominence when he was named on a Saudi list of most wanter terrorist suspects in February 2009, and then for attempting to assassinate Saudi deputy minister of Interior, Saudi Prince Muhammad bin Nayef bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud.
Al-Asiri had spoken to the Prine a few days before the bombing and they agreed to meet. This was a ply to get admitted to the Prince's palace, the CBS report says. He was flown back to Saudi Arabia on the Prince's private jet. He exploded a suicide bomb, killing himself, but only lightly injuring the Prince.
According to the Saudi Gazette, Abdullah was recruited into al Qaeda by his older brother Khalid Ibrahim Al Aseery. His brother Khalid Ibrahim was previously jailed in Saudi Arabia on charges of terrorism. The two brothers traveled to Yemen in 2007.
According to Al Ahram weekly. Al-Asiri exploded his bomb in the midst of some palace guards, but without seriously injuring any of them.
