3 Guilty in '06 UK Bomb Plot

(NEWSER) - The three men convicted of plotting to smuggle liquid bombs onto trans-Atlantic flights all received life sentences in British court today, with minimum terms ranging between 32 and 40 years, the BBC reports. The judge said the attack aspired to “stand alongside” the 9/11 attacks, calling it “the most grave and wicked conspiracy ever proven within this jurisdiction.” More»

Planned use of liquid explosives sparked restrictions still in effect

(NEWSER) - Three British Muslims were convicted today of conspiracy to blow up airplanes with liquid explosives in a failed 2006 plot that led to restrictions on drinks and toiletries on flights, the Times of London reports. Ringleader Abdulla Ahmed Ali, Assad Sarwar, and Tanvir Hussain were retried after a jury last year found them guilty only of conspiracy to cause explosions in a plot to place suicide bombers on at least seven flights from Heathrow to the US and Canada. More»

Threat 'may be at its most heightened state' since 9/11: Napolitano

(NEWSER) - Osama bin Laden’s reign as the top terror threat to the US is over: According to the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, he’s been overtaken by Anwar al-Awlaki . “I actually consider al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula with al-Awlaki as a leader within that organization probably the most significant risk to the US homeland,” Michael Leiter said while testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee yesterday. More»

Would-be terrorists face multiple obstacles stateside

(NEWSER) - From the explosives in Umar Abdulmutallab's pants to Faisal Shahzad's smoldering SUV in Times Square, most recent terror attempts in the US have failed spectacularly. Militant groups who regularly and successfully carry out bombings in Afghanistan and Iraq have a much tougher time launching attacks in the US. Dina Temple-Raston explains why on NPR : More»

New trend in terrorism: homegrown, unsophisticated

(NEWSER) - The ingredients that turned an SUV into a smoldering car bomb in Times Square were all cheap and ordinary: propane tanks, gas cans, powder from fireworks. In its reliance on components that are easy to come by and almost impossible to detect, Saturday's failed bombing looks a lot like other recent US terrorism attempts, and the trend has counterterrorism officials worried, the Washington Post reports. More»