Following a silly bombing attempt by a Nigerian Muslim, Canada banned most carry-on luggage on planes. The terrorists might not have succeeded in bombing a plane, but they hugely inconvenienced millions of Westerners by causing security regulations to be tightened still more.
And the precautions are hopeless, as we have long argued. Explosives can be hidden in checked luggage; terrorists have plenty of unprotected targets besides planes. Terrorists have already transported bombs in their bodies: will passengers soon face a check by a proctologist? The Christmas terrorist hid liquid detonators in his underpants: will all passengers be strip-searched now?
The story of the US State Department not revoking the terrorist’s visa six months after his father notified them of his son’s Islamist affiliation will undoubtedly feed conspiracy theories.
