Bomb parcel tipoff came from al Qaeda turncoat

New York, Nov.2 (ANI): A terrorist turncoat tipped off the United States about the America-bound bomb parcels before they were intercepted last week, the New York Post has disclosed in its report.

According to the paper, US authorities have said they now believe counter-terrorism officials intercepted packages that were supposed to be a "dry run" for the mail-bomb plotters in mid-September.

The packages were precursors to Friday's more heinous mail bombs, which were intercepted after radical rat Jabr al-Fayfi began spilling al$Qaeda secrets two weeks ago, according to British and Yemeni officials.

Fayfi, a Saudi, was captured by American forces in Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks and held for five years at Guantanamo Bay.

After he was released to Saudi Arabia, he managed to join the shadowy al$Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula group based in Yemen and was put on a Saudi list of 85 most-wanted terrorists.

But in September, he contacted Saudi officials, saying he wanted to come home, and a private jet was sent to retrieve him October 16.

Officials said he gave Saudi intelligence details of the terror-parcel plan, which were then passed on to Washington and London.

The Saudi newspaper Al-Watan reported yesterday that the Saudis were even able to give US investigators the tracking numbers of the PETN-packed parcels, which also contained electric circuits linked to a cellphone card that could have served as detonators.

Yemen officials said they suspect Fayfi didn't change sides last month as he claimed but had been a double agent for Saudi Arabia ever since he rejoined al$Qaeda. (ANI)