Dramatic sting foils al-Qaida attack on U.S.

The CIA had al-Qaida fooled from the beginning.

Last month, U.S. intelligence learned al-Qaida's Yemen branch planned to launch a spectacular attack using a new, nearly undetectable bomb aboard an airliner bound for America, officials say.

But the man the terrorists were counting on to carry out the attack was actually working for the CIA and Saudi intelligence, U.S. and Yemeni officials told the Associated Press on Tuesday.

The sting operation thwarted the attack before it had a chance to succeed.

It was the latest misfire for al-Qaida, which has come close to detonating a bomb aboard an airliner. For the United States, it was a victory that delivered the bomb intact to U.S. intelligence.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the operation. The co-operation of the would-be bomber was first reported by The Los Angeles Times.

The FBI is still analyzing the explosive, which was intended to be concealed in a passenger's underwear. Officials said it was an upgrade over the bomb that failed to detonate on board an airplane over Detroit on Christmas 2009. This new bomb contained no metal and used a chemical -- lead azide -- that was to be a detonator in a nearly successful 2010 plot to attack cargo planes, officials said.

Security procedures at U.S. airports remained unchanged Tuesday, a reflection of both the U.S. confidence in its security systems and a recognition that the government can't realistically expect travellers to endure much more. Increased costs and delays to airlines and shipping companies could have a global economic impact, too.

"I would not expect any real changes for the travelling public," said House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers. "There is a concern that overseas security doesn't match ours. That's an ongoing challenge."

While airline checks in the United States mean passing through an onerous series of patdowns and body scans, procedures overseas can be a mixed bag. The United States cannot force other countries to adopt the expensive and intrusive measures that have become common in U.S. airports.

The Transportation Security Administration sent advice to international air carriers and airports about security measures that might stave off an attack from a hidden explosive. It's the same advice the U.S. has issued before, but there was a thought it might get new attention in light of the foiled plot.

The U.S. has worked for years to try to improve security for U.S.-bound flights originating at international airports. But while plots such as the Christmas attack have spurred changes, some security gaps that have been closed in the U.S. remain open overseas.

Officials believe body scanners probably would have detected this latest attempt to bring down a jetliner. Scanners allow screeners to see objects hidden beneath a passenger's clothes.

But while scanners are in place in airports nationwide, their use is scattershot overseas. Even in security-conscious Europe, the European Union has not required full-body imaging machines for all airports.

Al-Qaida has repeatedly tried to take advantage of those overseas gaps. The 2009 bombing originated in Amsterdam, where the bomber did not receive a full-body scan. And in 2010, terrorists smuggled bombs onto cargo jets, which receive less scrutiny than passenger planes.

-- The Associated Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 9, 2012 A11