The Lebanese Interior Minister has revealed today that a plan by four Lebanese-Australian brothers to take down a passenger plane has been foiled in a joint operation of the Lebanese and Australian authorities, according to Standart News. 

Speaking at an exclusive news conference, Nouhad Machnouk told reporters the four brothers had plotted to blow up the plane with a bomb hidden inside a large Barbie doll and meat grinder.

He said the bombs did not make it onto the plane because the handbag they were placed in was 7 kilograms above the weight permitted by the airline.

Australian authorities have also said they thwarted a credible terrorist plot to down an airplane by smuggling a device onboard.

They have provided few details, including the precise nature of the threat or any airlines involved.

The United Arab Emirates' national airline said it is working with Australian police in the ongoing investigation.

But Etihad Airways, the smallest of three long-haul Gulf carriers that fly to Australia, refused to confirm if it had been targeted.

Machnouk said two other brothers are held in Australia while the fourth is a senior member of the Islamic State group based in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa.