True to form, the last several days on CNN have been all airplane bomber, all the time, and we've learned that investigators have uncovered a great deal of information already. The suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, studied mechanical engineering at University College London between September 2005 and July 2008; his last known apartment there has been identified and investigators have spent two days searching it. They've also learned that in January 2009 he began studying for a masters degree in international business in Dubai. They've even questioned a former high school teacher who taught Abdulmutallab at the West African nation of Togo, who suggested Abdulmutallab was sympathetic to the Taliban. The list goes on an on. Sounds like lot's of good, solid police work is in progress.
But one footnote to the story has been reported and yet glossed over by CNN, and everyone else as far as I can tell.
On Sunday, CNN reported that
Abdulmutallab was released from a hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Sunday after being treated for burns, according to Gina Balaya, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Detroit, Michigan.
[snip]
Abdulmutallab claimed to have extremist ties and said the explosive device -- made from a plastic explosive known as PETN -- "was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used," according to a federal security bulletin.
So it appears that preliminary interrogation by authorities has already revealed some rather important information -- namely, where he got the explosives, how he learned to use them, and that he wasn't acting on his own. He has also admitted to having "extremist ties," a vague description which could mean almost anything. But this is only what has been revealed publicly, the full extent and details of his confession thus far is (rightly) being kept under wraps.
But note the time line. This questioning all occurred while he was in the hospital. Even those skeptics who question president Obama's declaration that the U.S. will not torture should concede that it is highly unlikely that hospital staff would permit a patient under their care to be tortured.
Dick Cheney must be crouched in an undisclosed location somewhere scowling in disbelief. Apparently it IS possible to successfully interrogate a terrorist the old fashioned way -- by artfully gaining their confidence and convincing them to share what they know, without so much as a snarling dog or waterboard in sight.
How can this be? Ever since leaving office, Mr. Cheney has popped up on every news outlet he can find to ominously warn that torture is essential, and anyone who believes otherwise is hopelessly naive.
Maybe the answer lies in the questions being asked. If the point is to uncover how the plot was hatched and who else might be involved, traditional interrogation techniques are just fine. But if the goal is to drum up justification for a war with Yemen, then it's time to break out the waterboard. Maybe then we'll "learn" that two months ago Abdulmutallab met with the leader of Yemen intelligence in Prague...