Terror’s Track

Exit the Lone Bomber Theory. Investigators on both sides of the Atlantic initially suspected shoe-bomber Richard Reid of being a mentally unstable al-Qaeda wannabe who improvised his Dec. 22 airliner attack by himself. But evidence gathered since his failed attempt not only indicates Reid was part of a much larger plot, but that his partners in terror remain undetected and operational in networks spanning several European countries.

While French officials tell TIME they are now "virtually certain Reid obtained his explosives from associates while in Paris," they have few leads on the French terror cell that helped him carry out the plot.

French justice authorities close to the Reid case say they are convinced the 28-year-old Briton made repeated contact with fellow extremists during his Dec. 17-22 stay in Paris — the last shortly before boarding his target, the American Airlines' Paris-Miami flight he intended to blow up. French police note that the extreme volatility of the bomb material Reid used requires last-minute preparation before an attempted strike. American experts have found palm prints and strands of hair not belonging to Reid on the explosives hidden in his shoes. "These substances are too unstable to use unless they are crystallized first — a form they maintain for around 48 hours," a French official says. "The bombs were readied for use in Paris, and now there's evidence Reid had help with that."

Gaps in Reid's itinerary also lead French authorities to conclude he received additional assistance from al-Qaeda "brothers" in Paris — and carefully avoided leaving a trail to them. Numerous witnesses recalled seeing a tall, dirty Reid in Paris' Goutte d'Or neighborhood, yet a thorough search of local hotels in the sector found no trace of his passage. Other testimony had Reid carrying large sums of money that he'd methodically divide and store in his two front pockets. Police also believe a large bankroll Reid flashed was left with network associates who housed him before he made his flight.

French terror specialist Roland Jacquard says locating Reid's Paris hosts and terrorist partners is all the more important because the last contact made with Islamist suicide bombers is usually left to a spiritual adviser who ensures they won't back out. "In this case, the adviser is probably a senior network member, or perhaps its leader," Jacquard remarks. "If you find him, the network falls. If you don't, he'll eventually send another Reid on another mission."

Though the hunt for Reid's accomplices in Europe has yet to net any big fish, investigators are closing in on his cell mates. Police in France, Belgium and the Netherlands are scouring hard drives and connection logs at Internet cafés Reid visited in preparing his attack, and are close to identifying his correspondents. Authorities have also uncovered Reid's e-mail exchanges with an interlocutor in Pakistan, who urged the bomber to immediately renew efforts to board the Paris-Miami flight after he was turned away at his first attempt on Dec. 21. According to Jacquard, investigators have also traced much of Reid's e-mail to a Peshawar, Pakistan-registered internet site. The site is suspected of providing postal-drop and forwarding services for European al-Qaeda operatives, allowing them to avoid direct contact and possible police detection.

That and other evidence has allowed police to establish that there were links between Reid's plot and other thwarted attacks. Many previously arrested al-Qaeda operatives in Europe — including those involved in the assassination of Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud — used the same site when sending e-mail. The explosives Reid used or the formulae to make them were discovered in two al-Qaeda plots previously foiled in Europe, and one in Asia. Many operatives involved have also crossed paths in Afghan camps and in Europe.

Police are studying contacts Reid had with other jailed terrorist suspects like Zacarias Moussaoui, Djamel Beghal and Abu Abdullah. Though officials say Reid is small fry compared to those seasoned leaders, they may have played a key role in the Briton's recruitment and selection as a bomber. Authorities feel that learning just where Reid came from — and who helped him make his sinister flight — is the only way they can hope to identify the next suicide attacker.