"Although we are still pursuing all facts, we do know the packages originated in Yemen," Obama said during a media briefing at the White House today. "We also know that al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, a terrorist group based in Yemen, continues to plan attacks against our homeland, our citizens and our allies."
Obama's statement during the press conference comes just hours after federal agents began an investigation into suspicious items aboard cargo planes that landed at the Newark, N.J., and Philadelphia airports after officials in England discovered what they suspected was an explosive device on a U.S.-bound cargo plane from Yemen, The Associated Press reported.
WABC-TV / AP
In this frame grab taken from television, an Emirates airliner prepares to land Friday at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after having been escorted from the Canadian border by two military fighter jets.
"Last night and earlier today our intelligence and law enforcement professionals working with our friends an allies identified two suspicious packages bound for the United States," Obama said. "Specifically, two places of Jewish worship in Chicago. ... Initial examination of those packages has determined that they do apparently contain explosive material."
The plane in England was en route from Yemen to Chicago. The suspicious package was reportedly found at a flight distribution center at East Midlands Airport prior to takeoff. The plane that was searched in Newark had reportedly taken off from East Midlands Airport. That plane has since been cleared and proceeded on to its destination.
One of the planes in Philadelphia was a Boeing 767 that took off from Paris, MSNBC.com reported. The other was an MD-11 from Cologne, Germany. One of the jets has been cleared; the other is still being searched.
CNN reported that a number of suspicious items have been found in England and at a FedEx facility in Dubai. All of the items were reportedly shipped from Yemen. Suspicious packages in Portland, Maine, are also being investigated, but their origination is not yet clear.
According to The Associated Press, FedEx has embargoed all shipments from Dubai indefinitely.
The airplane searches led police to surround two UPS trucks in Brooklyn and Queens. "We're investigating what we believe is a possible explosive device on board that truck," NYPD spokesman Paul Browne told the New York Daily News. Nothing was found, CNN reported.
CNN also reported that U.S. military fighter jets escorted a passenger jet en route from the United Arab Emirates to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. That plane also, reportedly, contained a suspicious package.
Officials are now keeping an eye on 13 additional shipments, CNN said. Some of the packages have reportedly been located and others are being tracked.
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The scenario has heightened concerns about the Yemen-based extremist group. On Christmas Day last year, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, an alleged member of the group, allegedly attempted to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while on board a flight from Amsterdam to Michigan.
Obama said the incident has led to additional screening at airports and that the Department of Homeland Security is taking additional precautions to ensure the safety of the citizens of the United States.
"The events of the past 24 hours underscores the necessity of remaining vigilant against terrorism," the president said.