Even the most recent attack we thwarted, an attack on ships near Gibralter, was a repeat of the Cole attack scenario. I'm still not convinced that these losers who are attacking us are the brightest bulbs.
My concern had been that just as after 9/11 many groups and individuals who had supported Jihad withdrew their support out of disgust- so did the opposite happen- young people and groups who might otherwise not have supported bin Laden would've suddenly seen him as having an effective strategy and a just cause. I find it plausible that many young Muslims who have hacker/advanced computer skills who had been planning to have a nice career in the industry might have gone off and donated their services to "The Foundation" and its cause. Think about all those Muslims in Germany in the universities who might have been radicalized by the events and got on a plane bound for Pakistan and other points of call in the Islamic world- just as we know that many in Britain and America went to Pakistan to try to physically fight the coalition.
I think al Qaeda probably had no shortage of volunteers after 9/11 who just might have the skills to pull something like this off. These messages recently, allegedly from al Qaeda, that state "We will attack them where they do not expect it" certainly raise a few questions. They could've just been blowing hot air but I've been puzzling on that particular wording ever since. Where would be the perfect target that we least expect?