A major terrorist plot to destroy US-bound aircraft leaving the UK has been foiled by UK officials. The plan appears to have involved mixing a binary explosive contained in some kind of container and then detonate it on board. A similar plot was hatched by al-Qaeda in the mid-1990s involving Asia-US flights.
The BBC is reporting that the terror plot was intended to be carried out sometime in the near future – meaning that had there been another week of hesitation, the plot could have gone forward.
We had a combination of skill and luck this time that prevented what could have been a disaster – but we can’t win if we just play defense. Now more than ever we need to go after the leaders of terrorist groups and those who fund them. If a few major financial backers of terrorism are found with bullet holes in their heads, the opportunity costs for being a funder of terrorism would get a lot higher.
So much for the “religion of peace”!