Christmas Presense

So apparently, there are conflicting reports tonight about a Nigerian Muslim who may or may not be actually affiliated with AQ who tried to detonate "an explosive substance" aboard an airliner that had just landed in Detroit by way of Amsterdam.

The suspect is 23-year-old Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, a federal official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid affecting an ongoing investigation. ABC News and NBC News reported that he attends University College of London, where he studied engineering.

While not on the TSA's "no-fly" list, Abdulmutallab's name appears to be included in the government's records of terrorist suspects, according to a preliminary review, authorities said.

Abdulmutallab has told federal investigators that he had ties to al-Qaeda and traveled to Yemen to collect the incendiary device and instructions on how to use it, according to a federal counterterrorism official briefed on the case. But authorities have yet to verify the claim, and they expect to conduct several more interviews before they determine whether he is credible, the official said.

Apparently all this guy did was burn himself rather badly in the process and singe a couple of nearby passengers.  It is a reminder that there are pretty sick people out there who really do want to hurt Americans.

Then again, there are plenty of Americans actually managing to kill other Americans too today.  Perspective, as always.