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Latest terrorist bomb plot reveals alarming levels of sophistication
By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
May 9th, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
May 9th, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
Investigators say that an explosive device from Yemeni terrorists was
sophisticated enough to slip past airport metal detectors on to an
airplane bound for the United States. The discovery represents a
troubling advance in al Qaeda bomb-making techniques. They say the
device never posed an immediate danger to air travel.
"If something bad happens because it was leaked too early, that's a catastrophe and it's also a crime," Rogers told CNN.
Officials said U.S. working with other intelligence agencies had seized the explosive device, which they said was similar to ones previously used by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Western officials describe that group as al Qaeda's most dangerous affiliate, the FBI said.
The intended user of the bomb is no longer a threat, according to Rep. Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security committee, and a senior administration official.
CNN national security contributor Frances Townsend says that the suspect is "in custody wherever that device was seized," she said.
U.S. intelligence thwarted the plot after receiving a tip from Saudi Arabia, a source familiar with the operation said.
King said activities surrounding the bomb plot are linked to death of Fahd al Quso, a senior operative of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen.
"I was told by the White House they are connected; they're part of the same operation," he said, but did not provide further details.
One senior U.S. official said it had similarities to the underwear bomb that failed to explode aboard a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas of 2009. The official also said the device showed differences highlighting al Qaeda's efforts to overcome measures designed to thwart its terrorist ambitions.
Rogers said the bomb's construction was more advanced than previous models.
"This is a device that was more sophisticated, had some fail-safes built into it, and it was something that concerns us because it tells us that they brought some very capable people together to build something," he said.
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