Shoe bomb suspect 'got explosives on internet'

Terror suspect Richard Reid has allegedly told the FBI he built his shoe bombs after buying the materials from a dealer he found on the internet.

It is claimed the Londoner says he spent £1,000 on the plastic-explosives component PETN during a visit to Amsterdam.

The FBI believes Reid, who is due to appear in a Boston court, recently made at least two trips to Amsterdam.

Authorities have been tracking his movements through the Middle East and Europe over the last six months, hunting for a link to Osama bin Laden's terror gang.

Reid, 28, flew to several countries before he boarded American Airlines Flight 63 in Paris and tried to detonate the explosives hidden in his trainers.

His journey began in July when he took an El Al flight from Turkey to Tel Aviv - after passing a security check by the Israeli airline.

El Al spokesman Nachman Klieman says staff stopped Reid because he looked suspicious, but cleared him to fly after a check of his luggage, body and shoes.

Reid spent at least a week in Israel and then entered Egypt via the Gaza Strip, ABC News reports.

His next stops were Pakistan - and possibly Afghanistan, where captured al-Qaida fighters say he attended bin Laden's terrorist training camps.

He later visited Amsterdam where it is believed he bought the trainers that were then hollowed out, filled with PETN and rigged with detonator cord.