According to press reports, 'Umar Faruq 'Abd Al-Muttalib, the Nigerian man who attempted to blow up Northwest Airlines flight 253 on Christmas Day, received the explosives from a bomb expert affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).At this early stage in the investigation the suspect's ties to AQAP have yet to be corroborated. It is noteworthy, however, that the Emir of AQAP, Nasir Al-Wahishi, wrote about bombing U.S. airplanes in a recent issue of the organization's magazine, Sada Al-Malahim. The issue was dated Shawwal 1430, corresponding to September-October 2009, and was posted on jihadist websites on October 28, 2009.
As reported by JTTM on November 5, Al-Wahishi wrote an article titled "War Is Deception" in which he urged others to emulate Abu Al-Khayr ('Abdallah Hasan Tali' 'Asiri), an AQAP suicide bomber who attempted to assassinate Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Muhammad bin Naif. One of the passages in the article read:
"Make the explosives into a bomb that you can throw, set off with a timer, explode by remote, or make them into an explosives belt; or you can put them in any electronic device, like a digital recorder in which you hear the tunes of explosions, or in a photo album, a folder, or an envelope. Explode them on any taghut, spy nest, Emir, minister, or Crusader, wherever you find them.
| Brilliant idea: let's look at the results of the latest example of Al Qaeda bomb-making expertise -- that poor Nigerian lad. This new suggestion will likely leave the jihadi missing half his brain, but with his manhood still in working order. After all, what they have in Paradise depends on what they had when they died, if I recall correctly. Perhaps a reassuring fatwa ought to be issued on the subject. |
| Prime jihadi age is 15-45 among Muslim males, whether Sunni or Shia. One possible response is to banish all such persons to the Dar al Islam, the Muslim lands, allowing them back when they have outgrown such stupidity. Not likely, I realize, but tempting. |
While Al-Wahishi appeared to be mainly encouraging independent actions on the part of "lone wolf" bombers, the article did include an offer to help with these initiatives: "For our part, we will make contact with anyone who wants to wage jihad with us, and we will guide him to a suitable means to kill the collaborators and the archons of unbelief..."
According to media reports, 'Abd Al-Muttalib, the would-be bomber of NWA flight 253, had 80 grams of the explosive PETN sewn into his underwear. This method of hiding the explosives in or near one's private parts may also be suggestive of an Al-Qaeda connection. In recent propaganda, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has taken great pride in the fact that the suicide bomber Abu Al-Khayr had managed to sneak his explosives through multiple levels of security and into the presence of the Saudi Deputy Interior Minister. The communiqué taking responsibility for the assassination attempt said that "nobody knows or will ever know the nature [of this explosives charge] and how it was detonated." In fact, the bomber is believed to have hidden the explosives in his rectum. An AQAP video celebrating the assassination attempt later bragged that the explosives were not discovered "even though [Abu Al-Khayr] was searched more than once in the airports of Najran and Jeddah, and again at the Prince's palace."
| True, the explosives were not discovered. Nonetheless, poor Mr. Abu al-Khayr ended up a double smear on floor and ceiling, harming no one but himself... and his manhood was not the bit of him left intact for identification purposes. The only thing the Al Qaeda bomb experts can point to as a success was that the explosives were not discovered before detonation. |
| Nothing like aiming for the stars! Or the ceiling, at any rate. Look for lots of inexplicable work accidents and gene pool cleansing in the next 6-12 months. |
| Try mixing vinegar and baking soda, guys. Or ammonia and bleach. |