In a harrowing case, two brothers from Sydney, Khaled and Mahmoud Khayat, received lengthy prison sentences for their involvement in a conspiracy to detonate a bomb on an Etihad flight. The NSW Supreme Court convicted them in 2019 for planning a terrorist act, which spanned from January to July 2017. Khaled, aged 52, was sentenced to 40 years, while the 34-year-old Mahmoud received 36 years, with non-parole periods of 30 and 27 years, respectively.
The brothers collaborated with their elder sibling, Tarek Khayat, who had fought for ISIS in Syria. They intended to execute a bomb attack during their brother Amer’s flight to Abu Dhabi, using a device hidden in the guise of a meat grinder within his luggage. This explosive device was dispatched by Tarek from Syria and had been planned to be used alongside a lethal chemical assault.
The plot faltered when airport staff flagged Amer’s luggage as overweight on July 15, 2017. Fearing detection, Khaled removed the bomb from Amer’s bag, thereby averting a potential massacre that could have claimed hundreds of lives in the air and on the ground.
Tarek, who is currently incarcerated in Iraq, expressed regret about the extent to which his brothers were influenced by him, stating, “I did not anticipate that they would be influenced to such an extent.” He warned that the spectre of ISIS still looms large, suggesting that their mission is far from over.
Amer, the unwitting target of the plot, has struggled with the shocking betrayal of his siblings. His estrangement from their devout Muslim family added complexities to their motivations; he was seen as a figure of rebellion. Despite his brother’s actions, Amer is conflicted about forgiveness, stating that it pains him to even acknowledge them as family anymore.
The operation to send the bomb was meticulously organised, highlighting a level of sophistication that astonished law enforcement officials like Andrew McCabe, former acting director of the FBI. He noted the remarkable audacity of orchestrating such a plan across international borders, labelling the degree of planning and execution as unprecedented.
The case serves as a stark reminder of the continuing threat posed by terrorist organisations like ISIS, which McCabe emphasised remains critical in 2025. As surveillance measures tighten globally, the adaptability of such plots poses a significant challenge for security agencies tasked with thwarting similar attempts in the future.