International terror group, Al Qaeda, may use women to smuggle explosives on board an aircraft, a report in The Times said on Saturday.
A leading Al Qaeda organiser, held in custody, is understood to have told his captors that a woman was thought more likely to evade airport security. He suggested that a woman has already been selected for the attack and that it could involve a British aircraft.
A British security source told the daily: "The terrorists know there are sensitivities about making intimate body searches of women, particularly Muslim women, and thus you can see why some groups might be planning to use a female suicide bomber. Hiding explosives in an intimate part of the body means even less chance of detection."
The report said a woman could hide up to 12 pounds of plastic explosive inside her body. The detonator and other
components, which can easily be hidden in a watch, mobile telephone or electrical device, could be taken aboard by an
accomplice or in hand luggage.
According to the report, the explosive device would be assembled in mid-air in an aircraft lavatory.
Quoting experts, the report said 12 pounds of explosive would blow a hole in the fuselage. The prospect of a so-called
"she-bomber" was investigated by British officials in the run-up to Christmas when a number of flights to America and the Gulf were cancelled.