A plan by an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen to blow up a plane bound for America with a bomb has been foiled by the CIA.
The would-be suicide bomber would planned to use an upgrade of the 'underwear' bomb Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab failed to detonate on board a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day.
Take a look at 10 other failed terrorist attempts, involving everything from shoe bombs to ricin, for another phew moment.
Scotland Yard
Richard Reid(01 of10)
Richard Reid attempted to detonate a bomb in his shoes, months after September 11. While aboard American Airlines flight 63 from Paris to Miami on 22 December 2001 Reid attempted to ignite plastic explosives hidden in his shoes. He was overpowered by flight attendants and passengers, and admitted the charges in his 2002 trial. He was sentenced to life in prison. (credit:Getty)
New York Subway(02 of10)
Two men attempted to bomb New York's Subway system in August 2004, the day before the Republican National convention. Shahawar Matin Siraj and James Elshafay were both sentenced to 30 years in prison. (credit:Getty)
2006 transatlantic airline plot(03 of10)
Police foiled a plot to use liquid explosives on 10 planes travelling from the UK to Canada and the US, leading to continuing restrictions on passengers carrying liquids on planes. Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Paul Stephenson said the terrorists aimed at causing 'untold death and destruction and to 'commit mass murder on an unimaginable scale' (credit:Getty)
London car bombings(04 of10)
Two car bombs were discovered in central London in 2007, with both containing petrol cans, nails and gas canisters. They were designed to be trigged by a mobile device. The event was linked to a terrorist attack on Glasgow airport by Bilal Abdullah, and he was sentenced for conspiracy to murder for both accounts. (credit:Getty)
2007 plot to behead a British Muslim soldier (05 of10)
Operation gamble investigated a plot to behead a British-Muslim solider in 2007. The seven month police investigation led Parviz Khan to be sentenced to prison for life. One associate was sentenced for supplying equipment to militants in Afghanistan.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (06 of10)
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was caught attempting to detonate a bomb hidden in his underpants on board a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009. The former UCL student was sentenced to life in prison.
Bronx terrorism plot(07 of10)
Police arrested four men in 2009 after discovering a plot to blow up two synagogues. The so-called Bronx terrorism plot led to a terrorist ring, led by James Cromitie, being tried and convicted. (credit:PA)
2008 Exeter 'bomb'(08 of10)
22 year old Muslim convert Nicky Reilly was the only person injured during a failed suicide attack at a restaurant in Exeter.
Attempted tube bombings, 2005(09 of10)
After the panic of the 7 July London bombings on the tubes, another attempt was made to attack the capital two weeks later on 21 July 2005. Tune stations and lines were evacuated but the bombs failed. Each of the four attempted bombers were sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison.
'Ricin plot'(10 of10)
Algerian terrorist Kamel Bourgass was jailed for 17 years after police discovered equipment to produce poisons in his flat in 2003. In a statement the Met's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Clarke said: "The impact on the public, if he [Bourgass] had succeeded in what he wanted to do, is incalculable."