The FBI 'nails' a terrorists minutes before he attempts to explode a bomb at an Oregon Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

Mohamed Osman Mohamud, 19, a Somali-born U.S. citizen, was arrested at 5:42 p.m., 18 minutes before the tree lighting was to occur, on an accusation of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The good guys won one, right?

Not so much.

"The threat was very real," said Oregon's FBI Special Agent in Charge Arthur Balizan. "Our investigation shows that Mohamud was absolutely committed to carrying out an attack on a very grand scale. At the same time, I want to reassure the people of this community that, every turn, we denied him the ability to actually carry out the attack."

Mohamud maintained his interest in carrying out the attack and spent months working on logistics.

He allegedly identified a location to place the bomb and mailed bomb components to the FBI operatives, who he believed were assembling the device. He also mailed them passport photos so he could sneak out of the country after the attack, according to the affidavit.

He provided the FBI operatives with a thumbdrive that contained detailed directions to the bomb location and operational instructions for the attack.

On Nov. 4, Mohamud and the FBI operatives traveled to a remote spot in Lincoln County, where they detonated a bomb concealed in a backpack as a trial run for the upcoming attack.

Its fairly clear that, save for the FBI providing the means, there would not have been an actual terror attack. Mohamed had been given the bum's rush by al Qaeda and would have simply been another American Muslim convinced that America is an affront to Allah and deserves His judgments. In fact, other than his clear commitment to Jihad, Mohamed is well within the mainstream of Islam.

So what is the FBI's game here?

All that effort by the administration and its allies to rehabilitate Islam in the eyes of the American public, even as Homeland Security reinforces the perception that the country is awash in wannabe Jihadists.

Perhaps both strategies are one and the same if you consider them as carrot and stick for the American Muslim community. On the one hand, the promise of mainstream integration, and on the other, aggressive surveillance, entrapment and prosecution of the more fervent believers.

Its a cynical strategy, at odds with our democratic values, and I don't have a better idea.

Will it work?

I am doubtful. The federal government's repression of the Mormons around the turn of the 20th century had targeted an isolated, poor and politically-impotent group, and never managed to wipe out polygamy altogether. In effect, the reality television show, "Sister Wives" suggests that the polygamists have finally won the argument.

American Muslims are affluent, organized and numerous, and part of a world-wide community of a billion Muslims. If you can't crush the will of a few thousand polygamist Mormons, there is basically no chance that you're going to create a democracy-friendly version of Islam.