One week later , al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ( AQAP ) took responsibility for the plot , and for the crash of UPS Airlines Flight 6 . American and British authorities believed Anwar al-Awlaki of AQAP was behind the bombing attempts , and that the bombs were most likely constructed by AQAP 's main explosives expert , Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri . The bombs were probably designed to detonate mid-air , with the intention of destroying both planes over Chicago or another city in the U.S. Each bomb had already been transported on passenger and cargo planes at the time of discovery
UPS Airlines Flight 6
UPS Airlines Flight 6
General Intelligence Presidency