2001 shoe bomb plot

2001 shoe bomb plot
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) · Public domain · source
Title	2001 shoe bomb plot
Date	December 22, 2001
Location	American Airlines Flight 63, over the Atlantic Ocean
Target	American Airlines transatlantic flight
Type	Attempted suicide bombing
Perpetrators	Richard Reid
Weapons	Plastic explosives hidden in shoes

2001 shoe bomb plot. The 2001 shoe bomb plot was a failed terrorist attempt to detonate plastic explosives concealed within a pair of shoes aboard a commercial airliner. The incident occurred on December 22, 2001, when British-born Richard Reid, acting as a lone operative for al-Qaeda, attempted to ignite the device on American Airlines Flight 63 en route from Paris to Miami. The plot was thwarted by vigilant flight attendants and passengers, leading to Reid's immediate subdual and arrest upon the flight's emergency landing at Logan International Airport in Boston.

Background

The plot emerged in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks, a period of heightened global alert against al-Qaeda operations. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the principal architect of the September 11 attacks, is believed to have overseen the development of this specific bombing tactic. Reid, a convert to Islam with a history of petty crime, was radicalized in the late 1990s, spending time at the Finsbury Park Mosque in London and later receiving training at an al-Qaeda camp in Afghanistan. His travels through several countries, including Israel, Egypt, and the Netherlands, were part of his grooming and mission preparation. The choice of a transatlantic flight mirrored the September 11 attacks' focus on American aviation targets, aiming to cause mass casualties and further economic disruption.

Plot and execution

On December 22, 2001, Reid boarded American Airlines Flight 63 at Charles de Gaulle Airport. He carried modified hiking shoes packed with pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) and triacetone triperoxide (TATP), explosives favored by terrorist groups for their potency and difficulty of detection. The detonator was a simple safety fuse embedded in the shoe's lining. During the flight, Reid attempted to ignite the fuse using matches. Alert flight attendants, including Hermis Moutardier and Christina Jones, noticed the smell of sulfur and confronted him as he was trying to light his shoe. A struggle ensued with several passengers, who used blankets and seatbelt extensions to restrain him after he was subdued with an injection of sedatives by a doctor on board. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 was diverted under F-15 Eagle escort to Logan International Airport.

Aftermath and investigation

Upon landing, Reid was taken into custody by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. A subsequent investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and intelligence services, including MI5 and the Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure, unraveled his connections to al-Qaeda networks in Europe and South Asia. Forensic analysis confirmed the sophisticated nature of the explosive device. In October 2002, Reid pleaded guilty in United States district court to eight criminal counts, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and is incarcerated at the ADX Florence supermax prison in Colorado.

Security impact

The attempt directly precipitated a major and lasting change in global aviation security protocols. Within days, the Transportation Security Administration mandated that all passengers at United States airports remove their shoes for X-ray screening, a practice that became ubiquitous worldwide. It accelerated the deployment of advanced screening technologies, such as explosive trace detection portals and upgraded X-ray machines. The incident also influenced the development of the Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System and contributed to the expansion of the No Fly List administered by the Terrorist Screening Center. These measures were later reinforced by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.

Perpetrator

Richard Reid, also known as the "Shoe Bomber," was born in 1973 in Bromley, London. His path to terrorism began during periods of incarceration in United Kingdom youth facilities, where he converted to Islam. His radicalization deepened through associations with Islamist extremists at the Finsbury Park Mosque, led by the radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri. Reid's travels to Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2000-2001 brought him into direct contact with senior al-Qaeda figures, including Osama bin Laden and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. In a statement to the United States district court, Reid expressed allegiance to al-Qaeda and stated his actions were a "war" against the United States.

Category:2001 in the United States Category:December 2001 events Category:Al-Qaeda operations