YES SIREE, THEY'RE YEMENI – AT 6:52 P.M. ET:  ABC News is reporting the Yemeni connection to the airline bombing attempt:

The plot to blow up an American passenger jet over Detroit was organized and launched by al Qaeda leaders in Yemen who apparently sewed bomb materials into the suspect's underwear before sending him on his mission, federal authorities tell ABC News.

Please note that Yemen is where the USS Cole was attacked in the year 2000.  Some 17 American sailors were killed when a hole was blown in the port side of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

Investigators say the suspect had more than 80 grams of PETN, a compound related to nitro-glycerin used by the military. The so-called shoe bomber, Richard Reid, had only about 50 grams kin his failed attempt in 2001 to blow up a U.S.-bound jet. Yesterday's bomb failed because the detonator may have been too small or was not in "proper contact" with the explosive material, investigators told ABC News.

Investigators say the suspect, Abdul Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian student whose birthday was last Tuesday, has provided detailed information about his recruitment and training for what was supposed to be a Christmas Day suicide attack.

It will be interesting to see how the appeasement crowd in the president's party handles this one.  It's apparent that Al Qaeda now has a powerful presence in Yemen, and that it's making a strong statement.

December 26, 2009