Al Qaeda terrorists are reportedly plotting to blow up five European passenger planes before Christmas.
According to Daily Express, the warning comes as Whitehall officials admit that a terror strike on the UK is now "almost inevitable" particularly with British jihadists returning from fighting alongside the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
An airport security official reportedly said that they had received a tip-off that five planes were being targeted in a high profile hit before Christmas.
After receiving the information, airport security imposed an absolute ban on all hand luggage on planes.
The report said that the plot, known to the authorities since the past two months, is thought to involve Islamists smuggling bombs on to planes bound for major European destinations before Christmas.