A Qatar Airways spokesman says a parcel carrying the mail bomb found in Dubai traveled on two separate passenger planes.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with the company's standing policies on conversations with the media.

The package arrived in Qatar Airways' hub in Doha, Qatar on a flight from the Yemeni capital San'a. It was then shipped on a separate plane to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where it was discovered by authorities.

The package contained explosives hidden in a printer cartridge and was headed for the United States. Al-Qaida's offshoot in Yemen is suspected in the plot.