The plot to use suicide bombers to blow up airplanes in flight has been uncovered and stopped. There is suspicion that Al Qaeda was behind the plot, but there is no evidence so far revealed to support that suspicion. The publicity surrounding the plot has increased the alert level both in Britain and in the United States. Persons traveling by air are being subjected to additional inconveniences, including longer waits at airports and confiscation of liquids or gels in carry-on luggage.
These inconveniences are causing some persons to give up or defer travel by air. Airline companies now worry that their recent recovery back to profitability will be deferred also. Even though the actual plot was foiled, Americans are suffering as a result.
Although experts are unsure whether Al Qaeda was involved in the plot, it seems to me that Al Qaeda could well have provided some support for the plotters. The plotters seem to have been inexperienced. Al Qaeda would almost surely have recruited persons who would not have been easily discovered and rounded up by the British police if the organization wanted to make sure that the airplanes actually exploded over the United States. I incline toward the theory that Al Qaeda supported the plotters because they saw a win-win situation. If the airplanes blew up as planned, the United States would suffer and the American public would be terrified. If the airplane plot were prematurely discovered and foiled, the publicity would alarm the American and British governments, who would put in place additional restrictions and indignities on air travelers. The public of both nations would be alarmed and, to some extent, terrified.