3 Quotes by William Dowell

Given the history of Pakistan's nuclear program, these figures will certainly raise a few eyebrows. Pakistan struggled unsuccessfully for decades to develop nuclear weapons, and half of their devices failed to go off in their 1998 tests, which created the impression they were still battling to perfect the technology. Pakistan's nuclear program is generally assumed to be heavily dependent on Chinese assistance, and it sounds a little far-fetched that Beijing would allow them to develop a nuclear program on that scale.

The fact that they focused on a British official may be a sign that U.S. personnel are now taking a lot more precautions, while Saunders may have been an easier hit. But it also suggests that if they can't hit at senior personnel, this group is prepared to hit at people further down the chain -- and that could be major cause for concern at the Olympics.

The British may be reluctant to storm the plane with so many women and children on board. They're more likely to simply use boredom as a weapon, waiting out the crisis and letting the hijackers tire and then later offering them a way out.