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Obama Blasts National Security's "Systemic Failure"
By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 30, 2009
Modified Dec 30, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Dec 30, 2009
Modified Dec 30, 2009
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Yesterday, President Obama spoke again about the thankfully failed attempt to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight last week—and this time he was more forceful in his criticism of federal agencies' "mix of human and systemic failures" to address the matter. The NY Times reports, "The president was told during a private briefing on Tuesday morning while vacationing here in Hawaii that the government had a variety of information in its possession before the thwarted bombing that would have been a clear warning sign had it been shared among agencies, a senior official said."
What kind of information? The Times further explains, "The government had intelligence from Yemen before Friday that leaders of a branch of Al Qaeda there were talking about 'a Nigerian' being prepared for a terrorist attack. While the information did not include a name, officials said it would have been evident had it been compared with information about Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old Nigerian charged with trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit on Christmas Day." While it's unclear whether agencies would have been able to make a determination about his intentions, President Obama indicated that at least Abulmutallab would have been put on a no-fly list.
While it's known that Abdulmutallab's father, concerned about his son's radicalization, spoke to someone at the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, now CNN reports that he spoke to a CIA official at the embassy—and that a report on the young man was created. However, the report was not shared outside the CIA. The White House believes there's "linkage" of Abdulmutallab's actions with Al Qaeda in Yemen (which is what the suspect claimed) but the investigation is continuing.
Tagged
national security
NWA Flight 253
plane terror
president obama
systemic failure
terror
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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