This story out of Cleveland is disturbing. And it’s not the first report of a laser tracking a commercial plane in American skies. I blogged on Bill Gertz’s report in September about a Delta flight to Salt Lake City, Utah, that was diverted when a laser penetrated the cockpit and reportedly injured the pilot.

And two weeks ago, the FBI issued a warning that terrorists may be planning to shine powerful lasers into cockpits to blind pilots during landing approaches.
The memo sent by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said there was evidence that terrorists had explored using lasers as weapons, though there was no specific intelligence indicating Al Qaeda or other groups might use lasers.

We’ll keep an eye on this story.

Update: The Colorado Springs incident seems sketchier than the others, but who knows.

Reader/blogger Wes Roth points to a backgrounder on blinding laser weapons.

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