Bomb plot revelation comes day after al Qaeda mastermind's death

Al Qaeda figure Fahd al-Quso was killed, along with an aide, in an airstrike in the southern Shabwa province, Sunday, May 6, 2012.

/ CBS/AP

(CBS News) U.S. officials confirmed Monday that the CIA last month intervened in a plot to bomb a U.S.-bound airliner using an improved version of the "underwear bomb" that failed to detonate on a Northwest Airlines flight over Detroit in late 2009.

Officials stress that the new plot -- organized by al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen, known as al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP - never posed a threat to aircraft or passengers because it was disrupted so early.

CIA thwarts new al Qaeda underwear bomb plot
Who was Fahd al-Quso?

The revelation of the new airliner plot comes one day after a CIA drone strike in Yemen killed Fahd Mohammad Ahmed Al-Quso, an al Qaeda figure indicted in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole and one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Terrorists.

Top al Qaeda figure killed in Yemen air strike

Quso had a key role in the planning of the new underwear bombing plot, senior U.S. counterterrorism officials told CBS News national security analyst Juan Zarate, because Quso has been the operational leader of AQAP since another strike killed American-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki last September.

Quso's burgeoning role in the major al Qaeda affiliate - and what officials call his direct involvement in the planning of a new attack on the United States - likely increased his value as a target for U.S. military planners.

A senior administration official told CBS News White House correspondent Norah O'Donnell that "the strike against him was not tied to disruption of plot."

There's no evidence to contradict that official statement. But certainly the death of a top terrorist figure this weekend will be seen as a bigger win for the United States in light of the revelation of a major plot that man was planning.

[julianpenrod]

The_Bluewall only admits the illegitimacy of ther "argument" by having to stoop to fear tactics to promote it. Invoking any of a number of unpleadsant sceanrios can be used to "justify" any of a number of retaliatory or preventive measures. But, nothing says that those scenarios are going to happen, and, in the ensuing fear, how many falling for the scam notice that thre "solutions" don't necessarily "solve" anything? It could be said that foul minded Muslim haters like The_Bluewall only stoke up anger against the U.S., and a warning can be issued, how do you know a Muslim neighbor who finds out you look at CBSNews on the net isn't going to decide to take revenge in a one man jihad? On the basis of this, it can be suggested that vicious loudmouths like The_Bluewall should never be allowed to post anything on any site ever again. Maybe it can be suggested that the dim-witted, bone headed imbecility of contact sports has bred this loutish behavior in so many Americans, so football should be banned. It can be strongly argued that Muslim anger at the U.S. comes from decades of corporate sponsored destabilization of local govenrments and installation of dictators that sentenced populations to miserable wages in sweatshops, at best. If looking for a suggestion, you can recommend refusing all corporations any right to have offshore operations. Those are suggestions based on the situation, too, but you won't see the ilk of The-Bluewall endorsing any of them. Add the precious sign off, so characteristic of the mealy mouthed and insincere.

[SullyP]

Tax dollars well spent. I am grateful for the govt. agents that caught this.
Thanks to you all!!!

[Mitch_Connor]

Are people still buying this nonsense?

[corneliusvansant]

But the war on terror is over? The Obama State Department told us that last week.

[FredMathers]

Shoebombers, Underwear bombers, Wonder Bra bombers...Let's talk about who is really behind this crap and who is really instigating it...how AIPAC is going to use it to tell us which war to start next, and which terror organization we have to sponsor in order to stop the terror organization that we USED to sponsor, and how much more is this going to cost us in unnecessary million dollar detection JUNK at airports supplied by crooked equipment contractors, wasted time at check-in and strip searches of children all to make corporations even richer.

[The_Bluewall]

Hey, FredMathers, how would you like to one day be boarding a plane with your family, and then while up 38,000 miles see the guy next to your seat ready to detonate a bomb hidden in his dirty underwear, shoes, or what have you, as he smiles at you, and tells you to bend over and kiss your butt good-bye? In that moment you'd wish someone had done his/her job and caught this bad guy with his concealed bomb before he boarded your plane, and now sending you to meet your maker.I don't consider it a waste of time or money at check-in when it comes to my safety and the safety of my family and friends. Better safe than the horor of seeing myself and my family, falling through the air thousands of feet above, because people like you consider it a waste of time. Al-Qaeda will do what ever it takes to see that happen, even using their own babies to blow up a plane. Think about it next time you are at the airport and going through the detection system. God bless you.