"French authorities are searching for a passenger who failed to show up for an Air France flight that was canceled because of security concerns on Christmas Eve, France's justice minister said Wednesday." So says [1] AP.

"The man, who was ticketed for Air France flight 68 from Paris to Los Angeles on Dec. 24, was believed to have trained in Afghanistan, have ties to al-Qaida and carry a French passport, ABC television news reported, citing unidentified American officials.

"The passenger also was feared to have been carrying a small bomb with components that might get past airport security, according to the ABC report. . . .

"Separately, French judicial officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said investigators were looking for an Afghan man, Abdou Hai, whose name appears on a U.S. terrorism watch list.

"His last name matches that of a passenger ticketed to board flight 68 but did not show up, the officials said. Investigators have not yet established whether the Afghan man and the absent passenger are the same person."