US President Barack Obama has said in a White House press conference that the suspect packages discovered aboard two freight planes early on Friday morning did contain explosive material.

The packages were discovered aboard a plane of courier service FedEx in Dubai and a UPS plane in the United Kingdom. The two packages were mailed from Yemen. The FBI says they were intended for religious institutions in Chicago. The US authorities have alerted the city’s synagogues and tightened security at all airports. 
   
One of the packages was discovered aboard a plane owned by the United Parcel Service at the East Midlands airport in the UK, about 260 kilometres northwest of London. The package reportedly contained a toner cartridge for a fax or a printer.
 
UPS’ competitor FedEx announced that the Dubai authorities have seized a suspect package. The company has suspended all deliveries from Yemen until further notice.  The US authorities are currently inspecting freight planes at airports in New Jersey and Philadelphia. A UPS plane in New York has also been inspected.

President Barack Obama was alerted to a potential terrorist threat in connection with the suspect packages on Thursday evening. US intelligence services were tipped off about the packages by foreign colleagues. 
   
It is not known who sent the packages. Yemen is considered a stronghold of terror organisation al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula.
   
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