Daesh Seeks to Take Down Airplanes, Could Use Chemical Weapons - US Congressman

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Daesh* terror group is targeting airplanes around the world with both conventional and chemical weapons, US Chairman of the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee Michael McCaul said on Thursday.

McCaul spoke about aviation threats during a conversation with Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen at the 2018 Capitol Hill National Security Forum.

"They’re still intent on taking down airplanes. It’s the crown jewel, if you will, for them. They’d love nothing more than to blow up an airline inbound from say Istanbul to JFK [John Fitzgerald Kennedy] airport and we know that they have bomb makers," McCaul said.

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McCaul went on saying that Daesh terrorists are also making chemical gases that could be used on airplanes to kill everyone on board within minutes.

Nielsen confirmed that the militants' publications and intelligence, looked through by the Department of Homeland Security, show Daesh desire to take down airplanes.

*Daesh — a terror group, outlawed in Russia