foxnews | Al Qaeda operatives in Iraq attempted to unleash terror in the skies by deploying a pair of kamikaze canines on a U.S.-bound airplane, a French newspaper reports.

The canine-centered plot failed because the bombs were so poorly stitched inside the dogs that they died, Paris daily Le Figaro reports.

"This case illustrates the determination of Al Qaeda militants, who are trying to circumvent terrorism controls by any means," French criminologist and aviation expert Christophe Naudin told the newspaper.

The plot unfolded roughly two years ago, when Al Qaeda militants grabbed two stray dogs off the street and surgically implanted powerful explosives and detonators in each. The dog were then taken a Baghdad airport in kennel carriers, destined for a flight to the U.S., the newspaper reports.