"I think that the plot, in terms of its intent, was looking at devastation on a scale that would have rivaled 9/11," Chertoff told ABC's Pierre Thomas.
What isn't important isn't the intent, its whether they had the means to do what they wanted. That's the part that isn't clear at all.
Reid apparently tried to use [link|http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/tatp.htm|TATP]. There's speculation that TATP was used in the [link|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21_July_2005_London_bombings|London bombings], including those that failed. There's speculation about that the airliner liquids were intended to make TATP, but doing so on a plane would apparently be [link|http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Acetone_peroxide_synthesis|very difficult].
We all know that planes can be brought down with liquid explosives. The issue is whether the response to the threat addresses the threat in a logical way. Especially given the reports of [link|http://www.zug.com/gab/index.cgi?func=view_thread&head=1&thread_id=74827|what is done with the confiscated liquids...]
FWIW.
Cheers,
Scott.