NEFA Series "Target America": KSM's Transatlantic Shoe Bomb Plot
By Evan Kohlmann
On the heels of the foiled plots targeting Fort Dix and JFK Airport, the Nine Eleven Finding Answers (NEFA) Foundation announces the release of the eleventh in a series of reports examining the multitude of threats directed at the United States since 9/11. This week's report focuses on 9/11 planner Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's (KSM) plan to utilize two British Al Qaeda operatives -- Richard Reid and Sajid Badat -- to blow up U.S.-bound commercial airliners with shoe bombs. On December 22, 2001, Reid attempted to bring down American Airlines Flight 63 by igniting the explosive device in his shoe; his attempt failed and he was restrained by passengers until the plane landed. And, at the last moment, Badat withdrew from the plot, telling police he wanted to "introduce some calm in his life." Reid and Badat had been assisted by KSM's nephew 'Ammar al-Balucchi, who also played an important supporting role in 9/11.
The report can be viewed on the NEFA Foundation website, http://www.nefafoundation.org.