Washington, D.C. Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-Venice), Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing & Terrorism Risk Assessment, released the following statement on the foiled London car bomb plot:

Londoners were no doubt relieved when the vehicle-borne explosive intended to cause major human and property damage was found and disarmed.  Earlier this morning, I was briefed by senior Homeland Security Department officials about the incident and, as of now, there is no reason to believe that it is connected to a plot in this country.  However, this form of attack resembles earlier attempts to cause harm here.

Even before 9/11, Ahmed Ressam, the so-called Millennium Bomber, was apprehended at the Canadian border armed with plans and explosives to carry out a very similar attack at LAX - and still LAX officials are slow to implement security measures to minimize the threat of car bombs.

While British officials scramble to discover who was behind this plot, a major issue for Western European nations and the US is understanding better how violent homegrown terrorism arises.  From recent briefings at MI-5, I know the British are very concerned and taking serious measures against domestic terror cells.  My subcommittee on Intelligence and Terrorism Risk Assessment has held a series of hearings and is currently drafting legislation on the subject. 

Clearly, the Brits dodged a bullet with this early test of their new Prime Minister.  Next time, neither they, nor we, may be as lucky.