The CIA has successfully thwarted a new underwear bomb plot. This scary device did not contain metal, and it would have made it through metal detectors. Of course, it also raises scary questions about airline safety. Will people in the U.S. have to fully disrobe before flying? Surely it won't come to that.
Al-Qaida's Yemen affiliate created the sophisticated underwear bomb to use on a U.S. airliner on the one year anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death. It is very likely that this new bomb could have passed through metal detectors, but officials are not sure yet if it would have passed through the full body scanning machines.
The plot did not get very far because the would-be bomber had not even chosen a flight or bought a ticket. The CIA stepped in and took the bomb, and now they are analyzing it. Hopefully they will learn plenty that can help thwart future plans.
White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said, "The president thanks all intelligence and counterterrorism professionals involved for their outstanding work and for serving with the extraordinary skill and commitment that their enormous responsibilities demand."
Thank goodness they have done such a great job because another attack would be devastating to flying in the U.S. The bombmaker may have been Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri. He also created the Christmas 2009 underwear bomb. Hopefully U.S. intelligence will be able to capture him soon to stop his work.
While it is awful to have to deal with airport security, the truth of the matter is, it is even worse to be on a plane that gets blown up. Hopefully the U.S. and TSA will be able to figure out something that will help keep people safe while allowing some measure of privacy and freedoms.
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