U.S. warns of new al Qaeda air attack

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is warning pilots and airports that al Qaeda is in the late stages of planning an aerial suicide attack against the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan.

"Recent reliable reporting indicates that al Qaeda was in the late stages of planning an aerial suicide attack against the U.S. Consulate in Karachi," said a Department of Homeland Security advisory, dated May 1.

The advisory, which urged that suspicious activity be reported, was based on information and analysis from the Terrorist Threat Integration Center received during the last 24 hours, it said. The centre officially opened on Thursday.

"Operatives were planning to pack a small fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter with explosives and crash it into the consulate," the advisory said.

"This plot and a similar plot last year to fly a small explosive-laden aircraft into a U.S. warship in the Persian Gulf demonstrate al Qaeda`s continued fixation with using explosive-laden small aircraft in attacks," the advisory said.

"General aviation aircraft that were loaded with explosives to enhance their destructive potential would make them the equivalent of a medium-sized truck bomb," the advisory said.