Four men were arrested during counter-terrorism raids in Sydney in July relating to the plan – which would have seen the improvised explosive devices detonated 20 minutes into the Abu-Dhabi bound Etihad Airways service, which had 400 passengers onboard.
The plot was allegedly only aborted because the handbag the bombs were being carried in was 7kg over the permitted weight limit, Sky News reports.
Two of the men arrested were later released but Lebanese-Australian brothers Khaled Khayyat, 49, and Mahmoud Khayyat, 32 were charged with “preparing for, or planning, a terrorist attack”.
Last month, Australian authorities confirmed the arrests related to a credible plot to bring down an aircraft – which later emerged to be an Etihad flight from Sydney on July 15.
Speaking to a Saudi Arabia-owned TV channel, Lebanese interior minister Nouhad Machnouk said the brothers were behind the plan along with Amer Khayyat, Sky News reports.
One brother, Amer Khayyat, had been detained in Lebanon while Khaled and Mahmoud Khayyat were arrested
in Australia, Machnouk said.
According to Machnouk, Amer was forced to abandon the plan and to travel to Lebanon without the luggage after the bag was deemed overweight.
His story contradicts Australian authorities who previously claimed the travelling brother had the bomb planted on him unknowingly.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) deputy commissioner Michael Phelan described the attempted bombing as "one of the most sophisticated plots that has ever been attempted on Australian soil".
