A group of alleged terrorists arrested in London in August this year planned to blow up airliners over U.S. cities to maximize casualties, rather than over the Atlantic Ocean, as many intelligence officials originally thought, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.

The comments by Mark Mershon, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's New York field office, last week indicated that U.S. and British intelligence officials now thought that the airliner plot was aimed at maximizing the potential loss of lives and economic impact, the report said.

Authorities had previously said it was unclear where the alleged terrorists intended to detonate the liquid explosives, which they planned to smuggle onto as many as 10 transatlantic flights.

Michael P. Jackson, deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said shortly after the plot was thwarted, that while the conspirators appeared to be targeting nonstop flights to the United States, "the real focus was to blow up airliners and the people on them."

British police arrested 25 people in raids across Britain after uncovering the alleged plot. Eleven have been charged with conspiracy to murder and preparing acts of terrorism.

Source: Xinhua