A bomb similar to the one used by the Detroit plane bomber has been found discarded on a beach in the United States.

An internal US government memo reveals that the device contained TATP – the same explosive used by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and the 7/7 London bombers.

It was found days after the attempted plane bombing on a beach on the east coast.

The news will heighten fears that al-Qaeda has embarked on a long-term campaign to bomb civilian passenger aircraft.

Britain’s official terrorism alert level has was raised to “severe” on Friday, after it emerged that Islamic militants have been plotting to hijack airliners in India.

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