BEIRUT, Aug 21 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Minister of Interior Nouha Mashnouq revealed Monday that Lebanon has played a major role in foiling a terror plot to blow up an Emirati airline plane bound for Abu Dhabi from Australia.
Machnouq said in a press conference at the headquarters of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) that "the plan was concocted by four brothers from the Khayyat family, which hails from north Lebanon. The brothers were based in Australia and they had received their directions from Daesh (IS)."
He added "one of the brothers, Tarek, joined Daesh's ranks in Raqqa, Syria. His three brothers became convinced by his terrorist ideologies. One of the brothers, Amer, arrived in Lebanon in July, and the Internal Security Force's Information Branch kept him under its surveillance."
The Information Branch, Machnouq said, then shared the information it had gathered with Australian security agencies.
"The plane that the brothers intended to blow up had 120 Lebanese passengers on board," Machnouq said, pointing that "the operation was discovered due to the extra weight in one of the pieces of rigged baggage, which was supposed to blow up 20 minutes after take-off."
A security source confirmed to Xinhua on condition of anonymity the information revealed by Machnouq that "an Emirates planes was to be blown during its flight destined to Abu Dhabi."
