United States Air  Marshals have stopped an individual from evidently attempting to detonate an explosive aboard a United Airlines flight from Washington, D.C. to Denver.

Update: ABC News says the man in question Mohammed al Modadi, a diplomat in the Qatar embassy with full diplomatic immunity rights. Does that mean he can’t be charged for attempted acts of terrorism? Reports indicate he is, indeed, claiming diplomatic immunity privileges.

Will the United States government let him walk? From Hot Air:

Maddow just asked a good question on MSNBC: Did this guy’s diplomatic credentials help get him past security at the airport?

Good question. And will his diplomatic credentials permit him to get away with attempted terror attacks against the United States?

Update X2: He’s vice-consul in the Qatari embassy. He was reportedly trying to light his shoe on fire according to reports. He was tackled by US Air Marshals and the plane was escorted to the ground by fighter jets.

Update x3: Now NBC News, which originally broke the story, says there may not have been a bomb. The suspect may have been hotheaded and was trying to light his cigarette, which you’re not allowed to do as anyone who’s been flying in the past few decades should know.

Update X4: From Twitter’s Breaking News stream:

MSNBC: Air Marshalls say passenger in bathroom for a long time, when bathroom door opened, there was smell of smoke.

I’d say the Air Marshals were justified in taking him down at that point. Especially since this closely resembled the Christmas Day bombing attempt.

Update X5: From Hot Air:

Supposedly al-Modadi got up to use the bathroom around 30 minutes before the flight landed; he was in there for awhile and when he came out an air marshal smelled smoke. When the marshal asked him what he was doing in the bathroom, al-Modadi supposedly said, “I was trying to light my shoes on fire.”

So the moron, after filling the bathroom with smoke and spending quite some time in there, decided to joke about trying to light his shoe on fire? I hope he felt the thud as he was tackled by the marshal.