Terror threat

Former al-Qaida agent turned MI6 spy reveals role in US laptop ban

A former MI6 spy has revealed how the actions of a West Midlands man who became a master bomb-maker for Isis led to America’s laptop ban on flights.

Aimen Dean made the revelation in his autobiography, explaining how Hamayun Tariq, from Dudley, had plans to smuggle bombs “disguised as laptop batteries”.

This prompted a ban on passengers carrying laptops on flights from 10 airports in the Middle East and North Africa bound for the US.

Tariq, a car mechanic who became a jihadist and boasted about his bomb-making skills on Twitter, is believed to have helped create bombs that could be disguised as laptop batteries and taken on planes. Dean says Tariq is now adapting drones to strike football stadiums and other crowded venues.