Re the Qatari jokester — it cost us and the airline a bundle, not to mention the passengers fear and delay — and taking up the news for at least a week — never letting us forget for a moment the threat we live with.

Shortly after the underwear bomber, there were reports that Islamist blogs recommended that it wasn’t even necessary to do the suicide thing — just to make trouble on airplanes — keep the fear going and cause disruption and losses of time and money. There were several of these deliberate events in January and February this year.

It’s unlikely that he was stupid enough to “joke” like that without knowing full well the consequences — and that also he was protected by his diplomatic immunity.