Washington (CNN) -- A man who volunteered as a suicide bomber for a terrorist group intent on blowing up a U.S.-bound plane was working instead as an intelligence agent for Saudi Arabia, The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing American and foreign officials. The double agent departed Yemen, traveled through the United Arab Emirates and gave the bomb and information about al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to the CIA, Saudi intelligence and other foreign intelligence agencies, the newspaper said. The bomb, which was intended to pass undetected through airport security, was given to the FBI, which was poring over it, the newspaper said.
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Suicide bomber volunteer was instead working as an intelligence agent, NYT reports
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Agent has "cooperated closely" with the CIA, officials tell The New York Times
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The informant also provided information that aided the CIA drone strike last weekend
News about the device became public on Monday, about two weeks after U.S. intelligence agents thwarted the plot after receiving a tip from @placeholder, a source familiar with the operation said.