Islamos with bombs

The 7-7 Connection

Thomas Joscelyn, posting on the Weekly Standard Blog, sees in just indicted Najibullah Zazi more than passing similarities to al-Qaeda's July 7, 2005 bombings in London, and others.  “ 1. Zazi traveled to Northern Pakistan to receive al Qaeda’s training on how to make improvised explosive devices. The 7/7 plotters did as well, and so did at least some of the men responsible for follow-on plot that failed on 7/21/2005. 2. Zazi allegedly cased New York’s transit systems, and commuter trains were one of his possible targets. The 7/7 plotters, of course, targeted London’s transit system – as did the March 11, 2004 Madrid bombers. 3. Zazi allegedly researched ways to produce TATP (Triacetone Triperoxide). A similar, if not the same, explosive was used by the 7/7 bombers and the 7/21 al Qaeda plotters. Richard Reid also reportedly used a TATP-style explosive in his attempt to bring down an airliner using a shoe bomb. 4. Based on news reports, Zazi had accumulated a significant number of backpacks to allegedly carry the explosives. Again, this was the modus operandi of both the 7/7 bombers, the 7/21 plotters, as well as the 3/11 bombers. ” At least interesting, possibly more, is that London's extensive snoopcam surveillance system caught many of the 7-7 perps wearing New York-related t-shirts and hats during their missions and reconnaissance trips.  [Source & links]