I’m confused. The original headline I saw in the U.S. Press read, “CIA thwarts Al Qaeda underwear bomb plot near anniversary of bin Laden’s death.” Kind of makes you proud. Now, the U.K. Guardian reveals that the bomber in question was “working as an informer with Saudi intelligence and the CIA.” How do you put those pieces together?
As I understand it the guy al Qaeda thought was willing to blow himself up turned out to be an informant who handed the bomb over to the CIA instead. Good intelligence work on the part of the CIA. Not so much for al Qaeda.