A new threat by Al-Qaeda to blow up a plane that was bound for the US using an ‘underwear bomb’ has been foiled, according to reports.

The alleged deice, which was seized by CIA in the Yemen, is thought to be an upgraded version of the device that failed to detonate on boart a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas day in 2009. It is being investigated by the FBI.

The plan was supposed to be carried out around the first anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commented: “The device did not appear to pose a threat to the public air service, but the plot itself indicates that these terrorists keep trying.

“They keep trying to devise more and more perverse and terrible ways to kill innocent people and it’s a reminder why we have to remain vigilant at home and abroad.”