Report implies alleged 'shoe bomber' had accomplice

BOSTON - The FBI believes the shoe bombs found on a man suspected of trying to blow up a Paris-to-Miami flight were so cunningly made that he probably had an accomplice, a Boston newspaper has reported.

The man, carrying a British passport in the name Richard Reid, was in federal custody on Tuesday after allegedly trying to ignite explosives packed in his shoes during the American Airlines flight on Saturday.

He was forcibly subdued by flight attendants and fellow-passengers and the plane was diverted to Boston, where he appeared in court on Monday and was ordered to reappear on Friday.

The Boston Globe quoted an unnamed Massachusetts state official as saying preliminary examination of Reid's black suede athletic shoes revealed four to five ounces of explosive packed into each one.

"Because of the complexity of concocting such an explosive, FBI technicians believe that Reid must have had an accomplice, according to the state official," the paper said.

Establishing whether the suspect acted alone has been one of the main focuses of the FBI investigation. "That's a matter that's under investigation at this time," Bill Carter, an FBI spokesman in Washington, said on Tuesday.

The mid-air drama raised fears of a new attack like the coordinated ones launched on Sept. 11, which have been blamed on the al Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden, and it sparked renewed scrutiny of airport security measures.

In France, border police sought to place blame for any security breach on the airline.

"The police are in charge of border transit controls. Security checks are the airlines' responsibility," Tuesday's Le Monde newspaper quoted Fulvio Raggi, the head of the PAF border police, as saying.

The Boston Globe quoted the state official as saying each shoe had been hollowed out and had holes drilled into it from which detonation cord protruded.

The type of explosive used usually needs a battery or blasting cap to set it off but FBI tests found a substance had been added that would have allowed it to be detonated by prolonged exposure to flame, the official told the paper.

"The belief is now that if he had a lighter and not a match, the thing would have detonated," the official was quoted as saying.

Flight attendants confronted Reid during the flight when he lit a match and appeared to be trying to set his shoes on fire.

In remarks to reporters on Monday, Boston FBI agent Charles Prouty said the shoe bombs "would have resulted in significant damage" and he credited the passengers and crew with preventing a major disaster. The Boeing 767 had been carrying 197 people.

Up to now, officials have offered no motive for the attack and have not linked Reid to any accomplices or guerrilla network.

Reid is due to appear for a detention hearing on Friday morning. He is charged with interfering with a flight crew but officials have indicated they may file additional charges.

Doubts remain over the authenticity of Reid's passport and his true identity.

Britain's Scotland Yard said Reid was believed to be British but French officials have been quoted saying he is a Sri Lankan Muslim named Tariq Raja using a false British passport. Newspaper reports have said he may also have used the name Abdel Rahim.

Paul Wilkinson, a terrorism expert at Scotland's St. Andrews University, said on Monday the suspect had probably not been acting alone.

"He was not just some lunatic, but had a device in both shoes that would have gone off. That's a sign of some sophistication," Wilkinson told Reuters.

"On the face of it, it seems unlikely that an individual working on his own would acquire such an unusual means of destruction," Wilkinson said.

Meanwhile in Texas, a Continental Airlines flight from Houston to Los Angeles was diverted to El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday after a passenger became unruly, a Continental spokesman said.

The passenger was not immediately identified and there were no details concerning his behavior on the plane - a Boeing 757 with 183 passengers and seven crew members aboard.

No injuries were immediately reported. "Expectations are the flight will continue," Messing said.