“On Christmas Day, a passenger on a Northwest Airlines flight bound for Detroit tried to blow up the plane with plastic explosives in his underwear. He failed, yet the very attempt shook the U.S. government, set federal agencies against each other and triggered months of political second-guessing.

In fact, short of mass casualties, the attack allegedly attempted by Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had exactly the kind of reaction that al-Qaida is after. And, it appears, that lesson is resonating with the terror network’s leadership.

For the first time, the group that carried out the Sept. 11 attacks and has prided itself on its ideological purism seems to be eyeing a more pragmatic and arguably more dangerous shift in tactics. The emerging message appears to be: Big successes are great, but sometimes simply trying can be just as good.

“The U.S. government is cautioning Americans coming here for the 2010 Winter Olympics that the Games could be magnet for terrorists.

The State Department travel advisory for the Vancouver Olympics outlines routine cross-border issues for Americans coming north – like not bringing guns due to Canada’s tighter firearm laws – but also includes an Olympic security assessment.”

“Credible intelligence has emerged that Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is plotting another attack against the United States and U.S. interests abroad, a senior U.S. counterterrorism official confirmed to Fox News on Thursday.

The intelligence is described as not specific about time, place or method of attack, but is being taken seriously, according to this official.”

“More detainees released from the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay are returning to terrorist activity, a new classified Pentagon report is expected to say.

The report by the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency has not been released publicly, but a senior Pentagon official said it will show more former detainees returning to terrorist activity after being released to their home countries.

Geoff Morrell, press secretary for Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, told reporters at a Pentagon briefing Wednesday that the number has gone up since last year and added, ‘I don’t think that trend has reversed itself.’

“A passenger on an international flight bound for the United States Friday ignited a small explosive device shortly before landing in a move the White House called an attempted terrorist attack, a senior administration official said.

Another passenger on the Northwest flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan, quickly helped subdue and isolate the young male suspect with the aid of the cabin crew, passenger Syed Jafry said.”

(Source: Explosive device set off aboard airliner – CNN.com)