Terrorism’s New Threat

Al Qaeda’s shadow has returned to scatter fear in the United States and cause anxiety for millions of flight passengers.

It has been confirmed that the same terrorist network that was responsible for the plane crash into the Twin Towers was also behind the failed attack on Northwest Airlines, which was operating a flight for Delta from Amsterdam to Detroit with 278 passengers on board. The terrorist organization helped the 23-year-old Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, stick the explosive materials on his body with the sole purpose of exploding the plane during its flight.

The frustrated attacker was carrying more than 80 grams of a highly explosive material known as PETN (Pentaerythritol), a chemical compound of nitroglycerine. Apparently the reason why the explosive did not detonate was that the detonator was way too small or was not properly connected. However, the attempted attack represents another demonstration of the defects in security systems and room for potential attacks.

Umar is the son of a wealthy Nigerian banker, Umaru Abdulmutallab, who, in the past, alerted the authorities of the progressive radicalization of his son’s thoughts. He even warned the U.S. Embassy in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, that his son had been radicalized and had disrupted any connection with the family.

The most interesting fact in the case is that, even though Umar’s name appeared on the “terrorist vigilance” list for supposed illegal activities, the young Nigerian counted on all legal requisites to enter into and reside in the United States. This past June, the State Department granted a visa for Umar that would not expire for a whole year, a visa that he used for the first time in August for a period of 11 days in the United States. The terrorist admitted to having received training in Yemen, the home of Osama bin Laden’s ancestors and a country that, according to Umar’s statements, has become a sanctuary for Al Qaeda.

With two rebellions in Yemeni territory (one in the north and the other in the south) full of traditional armed tribes trying to preserve their autonomy and protect their territorial boundaries, the authorities in Yemen encounter extreme difficulty in controlling such a vast territory, with infinite mountains that offer plenty of perfect hiding spots.

Barack Obama faces a new challenge in the war against terrorism, a challenge that is more elastic and mobile with the passage of time and events. He will have to take into serious consideration Sen. Joe Lieberman’s warning after his visit to Yemen’s capital of Sanaa: “Iraq was yesterday’s way, Afghanistan is today’s war and Yemen will be tomorrow’s war.”