Exit the Lone Bomber Theory. Investigators on both sides of the Atlantic initially suspected shoe-bomber Richard Reid of being a mentally unstable al-Qaeda wannabe who improvised his Dec. 22 airliner attack by himself. But evidence gathered since his failed attempt not only indicates Reid was part of a much larger plot, but that his partners in terror remain undetected and operational in networks spanning several European countries.
While French officials tell TIME they are now "virtually certain Reid obtained his explosives from associates while in Paris," they have few leads on the French terror cell that helped...