"Body bomb," of course, is putting it politely, as al-Qaeda increasingly resorts to underwear and suppository bombs to evade security. Similarly, the criminal complaint against Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab provides the following information:
... In general, those individuals who were on the flight and who were able to see Abdulmutallab report that prior to the incident, Abdulmutallab went to the bathroom for approximately twenty minutes. Upon returning to his seat, Abdulmutallab stated that his stomach was upset, and he pulled a blanket over himself. Passengers then heard popping noises similar to firecrackers, smelled an odor, and some observed Abdulmutallab's pants leg and the wall of the airplane on fire. Passengers and crew then subdued Abdulmutallab and used blankets and fire extinguishers to put out the flames. One flight attendant stated that she asked Abdulmutallab what he had in his pocket, and he replied "explosive device." A passenger stated that he observed Abdulmutallab holding what appeared to be a partially melted syringe, which was smoking....
Time may tell what was going on during those 20 minutes that Abdulmutallab disappeared, but the characteristics of the bomb's transport and design certainly appear to strengthen the case for a Yemeni connection.
"U.S. Eyes Yemen Al-Qaida Tie to Terror Suspect," by Robert Windrem for MSNBC, December 26:
U.S. agencies are looking into whether al-Qaida extremists in Yemen directed Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and provided him with the explosives used in the failed bombing of Northwest Flight 253, senior administration officials tell NBC News.
They are also examining a possible link to an attempted assassination of a Saudi government official last August that used the same explosive, PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate.
Abdulmutallab had visited Yemen in the past few months, say officials. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is a Yemen-based offshoot of al-Qaida.
Abdulmutallab's increasingly radical leanings and anti-western rhetoric caused his family to alert the U.S. Embassy in the Nigerian capital of Abuja of their concerns, although it's not clear when they did so.
He was added to a terrorism watch list, say officials, but not to the no-fly list. The larger terrorism watch list contains more than 500,000 names, while the no-fly list has some 4,000 names. [...]
Of particular interest to U.S. officials, beyond Abdulmutallab's travels to Yemen, is a thwarted attack on the head of Saudi Arabia's counterterrorism effort and an October article on the use of small amounts of explosives, authored by the Yemen al-Qaida group's leader.
In the former incident, a suicide bomber hid PETN in his underwear, detonating it when greeting Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, head of Saudi counterterrorism, last Aug. 28.
The man, who had claimed he was turning himself in, died in the attack. Bin Nayef, a U.S. ally, suffered burns to his hands. Cultural taboos prevented a search in that part of the terrorist's body. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the attack.
'War is a Trick'
That was followed by an article published two months later in Sada al-Malahim, the group's online magazine. In the article, "War is a Trick," the group's leader, Abu Basir al-Wuhayshi, advised would-be al-Qaida members to use small amounts of explosives to kill "apostates" and Western nationals, including on passenger aircraft and in airports.
The title should sound familiar. It was Muhammad himself who said "War is deceit."
According to a translation proved by NBC counterterrorism analyst Evan Kohlmann, al-Wuhayshi wrote: "You do not need to sacrifice huge efforts, or large amounts of money, to make 10 grams of explosives, or more or less ... make it [the material] in the shape of a grenade to throw, or [an explosive] to time, or ignite it from a distance, or a martyrdom belt ... and bomb with it any tyrant, or intelligence forces den, or a prince, or a minister, or a crusader wherever you find them, and also in airports in the western crusade countries that participated in the war against Muslims; or on their planes, or in their residential complexes or their subways."
Al-Wuhayshi pointed to the attempted assassination of bin Nayef as an example of how to carry out such attacks....
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Flying is a voluntary activity, not a necessity or a "right".
It seems the only way we can reasonably protect ourselves from islamists and their dhimmis is to strip search all muslims/dhimmis prior to letting them board an aircraft, and then allowing them to board with absolutely nothing. No luggage, nothing in their pockets. Their passports, IDs & credit cards can be held by the crew until arrival and they can purchase whatever they need upon arrival at their destination.
I'd also suggest they be held in isolation for at least 24 hours prior to the flight and required to use a medically appropriate, effective laxative to prevent a bombing like the one targeting the Saudi prince. MRI/CT at the traveler's expense should also be required prior to boarding.
Another alternative would be to simply refuse to allow them to fly on carriers other than those of muslim nations. We should then refuse to allow those aircraft to enter US airspace or fly near US interests overseas and shoot them down if they try. Let them kill other muslims to their hearts' content.