A US drone strike in Yemen on Sunday, which led to he death of two people, has been revealed as part of a wider plot to intercept a second underwear bomb by the US House Homeland Security Committee.
On Monday, it was revealed that the CIA had thwarted an underwear plot in April by an Al- Qaeda affiliate, also in Yemen. The intention was to smuggle a bomb on board an airliner bound for the US.
The plot is believed to feature far more advanced versions of the underwear bomb that failed to ignite over Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009.
The drone strike on Sunday is reported to have killed two Al Qaeda operatives, though it is unknown whether either was the intended target of the drone.
Speaking on CNN about the drone strike and the announcement on Monday by the Obama administration, Representative Peter King said: "I was told by the White House that they are connected, that they are part of the same operation."
King said that though the bomb had no metal parts, suggesting it may have been able to pass through US Security checks, but added that the bomber and the device are no longer a threat to the US.
Hillary Clinton has condemned the plot, adding that it indicates that "the terrorist keep trying... to devise more perverse and terrible way to kill innocent people".
Speaking on Monday, Clinton called it a reminder of why "we have to remain vigilant at home and abroad".