The history of terror plots is filled with unusual schemes, from an underwear bomber to model planes filled with explosives, showing how would-be attackers are constantly hatching ideas to catch authorities by surprise. Now questions are being raised about whether two Russians held on terror charges in Spain were planning to launch airborne attacks on paragliders.

The two Russians took paragliding lessons this year in a southern Spanish region renowned for the sport, authorities said over the weekend. A Turkish engineer also under arrest paid for the lessons.

Spain's Interior Ministry declined comment on whether investigators believe Eldar Magomedov and Mohamed Ankari Adamov were using the paragliding lessons to train for an attack. But analysts said the allegation in court paperwork that they took the lessons is almost certainly a key line of investigation.

"It would be surprising if it is not significant in the investigation given the fact that it is mentioned, and secondly because both of them are doing it," said Magnus Ranstorp, a terror expert at the Swedish National Defence College. "Terrorism is a full-time occupation, you don't pursue hobbies on the side. It's such an unusual activity as well that it merits significant consideration."

Paragliding pilots said in interviews that the Russians probably wouldn't have raised red flags at paragliding schools because it's easy to sign up for lessons.

There are no criminal background checks for would-be paragliders; students generally only have to be physically fit and able to speak English or the language of the country where the courses are taught. Europe already has at least 100,000 licensed paragliders, many using gliders that fold up and fit into car trunks.

No attacks have been carried out using paragliders, experts said. The chances of success of such a plot would be severely limited by the difficulty handling the gliders over cities, terror and paragliding experts said.

However, paragliding did feature in one recent stunt by an environmentalist that must have given chills to authorities.

The activist was arrested in May after dropping a billowing smoke bomb onto the roof of a French nuclear reactor. Video footage captured the airborne activist on a motorized paraglider after he dropped the smoke bomb, circling the reactor before making a wobbly descent to the ground with his glider's parachute-like wing emblazoned with "Greenpeace."

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