TERROR UPDATE – AT 8:23 P.M. ET:  An arrest has been made in the "toner bomb" plot, broken up yesterday.  And we learn more about the potential of the bombs involved.  From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — The authorities in Yemen on Saturday arrested a woman suspected of sending two powerful bombs on cargo planes bound for the United States, as the investigation into the terror plot continued to unfold on three continents...

...A defense lawyer who has been in contact with the Yemeni woman’s family confirmed the arrest, describing her as a 22 year-old engineering student at Sana University. She was arrested in her house along with her mother, who is 45, the lawyer, Abdul Rahman Barham said...

...As investigators conducted forensic analysis of the two bombs and tried to piece together a foiled terrorism plot, American officials said evidence was mounting that the top leadership of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, including the radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, was behind the attempted attacks.

And...

In further evidence that Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen is steadily improving its abilities to strike on American soil, American officials said Saturday that the powerful bombs were expertly constructed and unusually sophisticated...

...“The wiring of the device indicates that this was done by professionals,” said one official involved in the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity because the inquiry was continuing. “It was set up so that if you scan it, all the printer components would look right.”

And...

Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain said on Saturday that the parcel bomb bound for the United States and intercepted in England was designed to explode while the plane was flying.

COMMENT:  More will come out.  Once again, a combination of luck and the good work of intelligence services saved us.  But it's only a matter of time before a plot succeeds.  These people are getting better and better, if the sophistication of the devices is used as a measure.

Oh, by the way, earlier this week Betty McCollum, the hard-left Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota, announced that al Qaeda was no threat to the United States.  And also, earlier this week, the head of British Airways said American airline screening was too rigorous.  Some people have an exquisite sense of timing.

October 30, 2010