Without a doubt, the Times Square plot is perhaps the most unnerving of the 10 plots foiled in the U.S. so far this year. Thousands of people were streaming into that section of New York City at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 1.

That’s what amounts to rush hour for the food and entertainment industry.

A bomb, which consisted of a vehicle with three propane tanks, two gasoline tanks, many pounds of fertilizer and fireworks was lit and left to blow. The gas and firing mechanisms of multiple cars, electronic signs, fabric of personal clothing and other flammable material could’ve left Times Square a burned out shell.

But it didn’t happen. Why?

Authorities tell me it’s because the bomb was not put together well. The suspect reportedly tried to cook-it-off by lighting a fuse — something al Qaida and the Taliban never do. Well informed sources tell me they always use detonators.

So what does this development tell us? The suspect or bomb-maker, which may be different people, snoozed on some key bomb-making training. Another key example — the fertilizer in the gun locker was not mixed with fuel. Fertilizer doesn’t become a bomb until it is mixed with some type of fuel– usually diesel.

It looks as though the bomb-maker had the right idea, but didn’t have the focus.

Another interesting development: The suspect left loads of personal information in the vehicle. Perhaps he was expecting it all to burn. During his training, he probably missed the class about how good U.S. forensics technology is and how burning things doesn’t necessarily destroy them.

One thing that he did seem to pick up was how to put the slip on surveillance. Counter-surveillance training is absolutely necessary to slip away from federal agents. You cannot just run around a few corners and hide. There is a very sophisticated electronic element involved in today’s government surveillance schemes, and based on what this suspect was doing after he left the vehicle parked on the street, he had not read the manuals.

The most riveting piece of this whole thing was his get-away attempt.

Emirates Flight 202 was taxing down the runway about to line up to take off for Dubai when the pilots were contacted by Air Traffic Control.

ATC: “Emirates 202 I have a message for you to go back to the gate immediately.”

(The audio courtesy of LIVEATC.net indicates the Emirates crew were completely in the dark).

Plane: “Ground to Emirates 202 heavy.”

ATC: “Emirates 202 heavy go ahead.”

Plane: “Were trying to figure out what’s going here right now…”

Air traffic control was calling the flight back because authorities wanted to take several people off the plane. Faisal Shahzad had already been pulled off the flight bound Pakistan, where he said he trained for his mission.

The most astounding piece of all is a report from WCBS-TV in New York that has been removed from the Web. It suggests that it was a military spy plane that actually flagged Shahzad electronically, as he reportedly reserved a plane ticket to Dubai.

What does all of this mean? It means that maybe the Taliban really did have something to do with this.

And, just as terrorists learned from the underwear bomber’s mistakes in his attempt to blow up Northwest Airlines flight 253 on Christmas Day last year, they’re learning from the Times Square bombing suspects actions as well.