U.S. Hunts Bomb Maker in Yemen Plot

Yemen may have released the woman it originally suspected of mailing the explosive packages found on cargo planes last week, but now the hunt is on for a new suspect: Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, the al Qaeda bomb maker who is believed to have also constructed the device used in the failed Christmas day bombing. The bombs found on cargo planes last week contained PETN, the same explosive material used in the attempted Christmas Day bombing and al-Asiri’s other plots, one of which involved having his own brother carry an explosive device in a “body cavity.” His brother was supposed to assassinate a Saudi prince, but ended up only killing himself. The U.S. is also investigating whether or not Anwar al-Awlaki, the radical U.S.-born cleric in Yemen, is involved in the latest plot.