Terror in the air

SAME IDEA, DIFFERENT OCEAN. If Thursday’s thwarted terrorist plot sounded eerily familiar, that’s because Islamic terrorists developed a similar plan -- to blow up a dozen U.S.-bound airliners simultaneously over the Pacific -- about a decade ago. That plot was foiled too. But whatever this latest scheme says about the terrorists’ lack of imagination, it also serves as a reminder, as President Bush said, that the U.S. and its allies are in a protracted “war with Islamic fascists.”

It has been difficult at times to take Washington’s terrorism warnings very seriously, or to be very impressed by past law enforcement coups in this conflict. The administration has tended to use the war as a cheap political instrument and has called a few too many triumphant news conferences trumpeting disrupted terrorist conspiracies that turned out to be little more than amateurs incapable of pulling off the attacks they fantasized about.

But Thursday’s news felt different. In part, this is because it was a British operation, and last year’s London subway bombing revealed the frightening radicalism of some segments of Britain’s Muslim community. Two dozen suspects -- most of them British nationals of Pakistani ancestry -- have been arrested by British authorities, who reportedly worked closely with Pakistani and U.S. intelligence. The plan to use liquid peroxide-based bombs to bring down the airliners was described as “well-advanced” and “imminent.”

London’s Heathrow Airport went into a virtual lockdown Thursday, and U.S. airports responded by banning most liquids and gels from carry-on luggage (at least for now). Such vigilance is understandable. Not all conspirators were apprehended, and it is possible that other groups would want to proceed with their plans. There also is the possibility of copycat attacks, like the failed attempts in London’s subway two weeks after last year’s July 7 bombings.

The ambitious transatlantic plot comes at a time when air travel was starting to recover from its post-9/11 trauma. Passenger loads were again reaching record levels, and airlines were showing signs of financial recovery, despite soaring fuel prices. Little things, such as taking off your shoes at the security checkpoint, were starting to seem more like a nuisance than a matter of national security. Flying may be unpleasant in the weeks ahead, but shaking off some of that complacency is a good thing.

Governments have to continue to react to the latest threat in the air. After 9/11, it was nail clippers, small scissors and any other object that could be used to overpower a crew. After the so-called shoe bomber was caught aboard a plane in 2001, it was shoes. This week, it’s hair gel and shaving cream. With reinforced cockpit doors making hijackings more difficult, airplanes have once again become targets, rather than potential weapons of mass destruction.

Keeping explosives from getting onboard makes sense, as does tightened security at airports. What this thwarted plot shows most of all, however, is that there may be no better weapon against terrorists than sound intelligence work.