The Transportation Security Administration has a wizard idea when it comes to tracking down the terrorists behind the failed Christmas day plot.

Instead of looking at potential terrorist masterminds, who are difficult to find and not that co-operative, it is calling in bloggers who reported the incident on their website. TSA special agents served subpoenas to travel bloggers Steve Frischling and Chris Elliott, demanding that they reveal who leaked a security directive which was published after the event. The government says the directive was not supposed to be disclosed to the public.

Frischling has been hassled by two TSA special agents at his home for about three hours and was forced to hand over his lap top. The TSA threatened to kill off his contract to write a blog for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines if he didn't cooperate and provide the name of the person who leaked the memo. Frishling said he had no idea where the security directive came from as it was sent anonymously.

The TSA directive outlined new screening measures that went into effect the same day as the airliner incident. It included many procedures that would be apparent to everyone such as patting down the upper legs and torso, inspecting all travellers' belongings, looking carefully at syringes with powders and liquids, requiring that passengers remain in their seats one hour before landing, and disabling all onboard communications systems.

The rules did not apply to heads of state and their families, which would not have been obvious but then you can't stop Gordon Brown going to the loo. The question was why was the TSA so keen on looking for the source of the directive rather than finding the terrorist and why was it prepared to bully hacks and bloggers to find out who the whistleblower was.