Al-Qaeda Offshoot Takes Responsibility for Northwest Incident

Attempted bombing was payback for air strikes in Yemen, group says
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 28, 2009 1:53 PM CST
Al-Qaeda Offshoot Takes Responsibility for Northwest Incident
This Dec. 2009 photo released by the U.S. Marshal's Service on Monday Dec. 28, 2009 shows Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab in Milan, Mich.    ((AP Photo/U.S. Marshal's Service))

A group known as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed responsibility for the attempted attack on a US airliner on Christmas Day, saying it was retaliation for a US operation against the group in Yemen. In a statement posted on the Internet, the group said 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab coordinated with members of AQAP, as the organization is known.

Yemeni forces, helped by American intelligence, carried out two air strikes against al-Qaeda operatives in the country this month. The second one took place a day before the attempted bombing of the plane. The group said the would-be bomber used explosives manufactured by al-Qaeda members. AQAP is an alliance of militants based in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. (More al-Qaeda stories.)

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