Yemen-based militant group al-Qaeda admitted responsibility for sending last week two parcel bombs on cargo planes bound for the US, BBC reports, citing messages on Islamist websites.

The group, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) further declares it brought down an American cargo plane in Dubai in September and vows to continue to target the US and its allies.

The two devices, sent on October 29, were intercepted after a tip-off from an al-Qaeda member who handed himself in Saudi Arabia. The packages, which contained the powerful explosive PETN concealed in printer ink cartridges, were addressed to synagogues in Chicago.

The messages accuse Saudi authorities of thwarting the attack and of "collaboration with the Jews".

In a message directed at US President Barack Obama, the group said: "We have struck three blows at your airplanes in a single year. And God willing, we will continue to strike our blows against American interests and the interests of America's allies."

Security forces in Yemen are hunting for AQAP's suspected bomb maker, Ibrahim al-Asiri, in connection with the plot.

On September 3, a UPS cargo plane came down near Dubai airport shortly after take-off, killing two crew members. Investigators have not yet determined what caused the crash.

The statement was reported by the Site group, which monitors Islamist websites.