Bomb Makers Plotted Blasts Over U.S.

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Investigators looking into the recent attempt to send explosives to the U.S. on board cargo flights believe they have determined the intent of those behind the plot. According to investigators, there are several signs that indicate that the bombers intended for the explosives to detonate while the cargo planes were in mid-air before they landed at their destinations. For example, the cell phones that the terrorists used as detonators had been altered to maximize their battery life. Authorities say that the changes, which included removing the screen face from the cell phones, could have allowed the devices’ batteries to last three to four days. In addition, officials say that the fact that the packages that contained the explosives had outdated addresses of synagogues in Chicago was another indication that the terrorists behind the plot wanted to detonate their explosives while the cargo planes were in mid-air. However, authorities do not believe that the terrorists would have had full control over where the devices would have detonated. It remains unclear whether the devices would have worked as designed.