DOUBLE AGENT

Saudi Likely Created Underwear Bomb

Had previously targeted U.S. three times.

A Saudi bomb maker is believed to be responsible for creating the “underwear bomb” that was a central part of an al Qaeda plot foiled by a CIA double agent, security experts and officials told Reuters. Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, who survived a drone strike last year, has been described as one of the most dangerous militants in al Qaeda. He reportedly had created a new, sophisticated, nonmetallic underwear bomb, but U.S. officials said Tuesday that the would-be bomber of a foiled attack planned for the anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s killing was a CIA double agent. Asiri is suspected of being the culprit behind three other plots against the U.S., including the 2009 Christmas Day attempt to take over a Detroit airliner.