Diplomat Won't Face Charges in Plane Scare

Mohammed al Modadi is being released without charges after officials determined that he was just being sarcastic when he said he was lighting his shoes on fire. The Qatari diplomat aroused suspicion when he spent a long time in the bathroom on his plane. It appears he was only sneaking a smoke, but he made an “unfortunate comment” about a shoe bomb when busted, a US official told CNN.

AP weighs in with this twist on the story: It seems Modadi had been on his way to visit an imprisoned al-Qaeda agent, apparently to make sure he's being treated well. AP's sources say Modadi was going to meet Ali Al-Marri, who pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to support terrorism. Authorities accused him of being a sleeper agent when he was arrested after the 9/11 attacks.
(More shoe bomber stories.)