Not Quite There Yet
U.S. officials realized that underpants bomber Abdulmutallab was a risk after he was on the flight:
U.S. border security officials learned of the alleged extremist links of the suspect in the Christmas Day jetliner bombing attempt as he was airborne from Amsterdam to Detroit and had decided to question him when he landed, officials disclosed Wednesday.
The new information shows that border enforcement officials discovered the suspected extremist ties involving the Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, in a database despite intelligence failures that have been criticized by President Obama.”The people in Detroit were prepared to look at him in secondary inspection,” a senior law enforcement official said. “The decision had been made. The [database] had picked up the State Department concern about this guy — that this guy may have been involved with extremist elements in Yemen.”
If the intelligence had been detected sooner, it could have resulted in the interrogation and search of Abdulmutallab at the airport in Amsterdam, according to senior law enforcement officials, all of whom requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
This is one thing I wondered about. I have flown internationally and I knew that the U.S. gathered a list of passengers on overseas flights to check against certain lists. So I guess the system worked kinda.
I think this incident is showing where we need areas of improvement. We need a a better watch list (they were able to keep Cat Stevens from flying to the U.S. but not an actual threat) – much smaller than the current one. Obviously the 500,000 people list is too unwieldy to be useful. We also need an fast check, before the person gets on a flight. I think we also might want to warn members of the flight crew if a dangerous person potentially gets on board.
Tags: Terrorism
I think we also might want to warn members of the flight crew if a dangerous person potentially gets on board.
Maybe the seats all need to be ejection seats.
I’ve always been in favor of air marshals. I know cant fire a gun in a pressurized tube, but it takes long enough to prepare and detonate a crotch-bomb for a trained person to either subdue, or taze the shit out of a would-be terrorist.
and i KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO SAY DELCRAT. no, im not sacrificing liberty for a feeling of security. the air marshal wouldn’t be there to stop new mile high club inductees, or flag people from drinking, or search whoever they feel like. But, if someone is mixing shit they didnt swipe from the kart when the flight attendant wasn’t looking, they get to meet Mr 50K volts.
Actually, you can fire a gun in that pressurized tube. Just not a big one. But Mr. 50K Volts is a great choice, too.
But that may be one of the crappiest jobs out there. To spend your day, every day, sitting in economy with a 2 year old kicking the back of your seat would have to get old fast. Come to think of it, arming those guys might not be the best idea… 🙂
I think the Obama administration is going to announce increased air marshals. This seems like the perfect kind of case for one – if an air marshal were on the plane perhaps he or she could have kept an eye on Abdulmutallab and maybe taken him into custody before he tried to set off a bomb. I guess it’s all a guessing game with 20/20 hindsight now.
Watch lists, no-fly lists, no-vote lists ….
So many lists….
Oh, What list are you on, boy ?
Whose list are you on ?
UI, exactly, cause Air Marshalls have xray vision and would have seen the underwear bomb.
It is saddening to watch the bueractic responce… the “look we are doing something!” regardless of whether it will have any positive effect.
the bomb wasn’t in his carry-on, big annoucement, new restrictions on carry-ons.
The bomber was in his seat when he ignited – big annoucement, new restrictions on moving about the cabin.
the bomber did nothing on the plane that aroused suspision before bursting into flame – big annoucement, an Air Marshall Surge!
yeah now everyone can feel better.
Personally, I think that Air Marshals are overrated. Unless they are sitting very proximate to someone who has bad intentions I really don’t know how much better they’d do than that person’s pissed off seatmates. And the people thinking about airline security are counting on passengers to help deal with people misbehaving. Air Marshals are probably better equipped to keep control of someone who has been stopped from some foolishness, though.
I may have told this before, but shortly after 9/11 a friend of mine who flies alot too thought that the best security an airline could install would be a Bowie knife at each seat. The theory here being sending would-be terrorists a message that if you try anything on a plane it is now a serious fight with a whole lot of people given a clear sanction to hurt you.
Let’s see on top of his Father alerting the CIA to him he paid cash for a one way ticket no baggage and going to Detroit in December without a coat nothing suspicious here
And really if we are going to spend money on an effort on really big security improvements, let’s start giving airplane cargo AND the deliveries of the crap they sell you in airports the same kind of inspections that your own luggage is subject to.
was the entire Obama administration on vacation?
CIA, Counterterrorism Execs Managed Bomb Crisis from Afar
CBS ^ | Thursday January 7, 2010 | Daniel Farber
It could be said that the U.S. government can run by remote control. On the day that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to blow up a Northwest airline flight headed for Detroit, several key government players were on holiday and didn’t immediately return to their posts in Washington, D.C.
President Obama was on vacation in Hawaii, golfing and enjoying time with his family. He returned to the White House on Jan. 4.
A source told CBS News that Leon Panetta, director of the CIA, was on holiday in Monterey, Calif. when Abdulmutallab was apprehended, and didn’t return to CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. until the weekend following Jan. 1.he CIA maintained that Panetta’s absence from Langley was not a problem. “While we don’t comment on the Director’s whereabouts, wherever he is—and at every moment of every day—he has the ability to communicate instantly and securely with anyone he needs to be in touch with,” a CIA spokesman said.
In addition, Stephen Kappes, CIA deputy director, reportedly didn’t see the need to return to CIA headquarters from his vacation despite the major intelligence community failure. He returned to Washington, D.C. just after the Khost bombing on Dec. 30 that killed seven CIA officers.
And, the White House has been busy today putting its support behind National Counterterrorism Director Michael Leiter, who decided it would be acceptable to go on a six-day vacation with his 7-year-old son the day after Abdulmutallab’s attempted bombing.
John Brennan, the president’s chief counterterrorism adviser, said he authorized Leiter to take the vacation time after concluding that Leiter had a “full complement” of people and deputies to deal with the situation and that he “deserved” the vacation.
Denis McDonough, National Security Staff Chief of Staff, chimed in that Leiter’s vacation “did not affect in any way his ability to remain engaged with all elements of the United States Government.”
cass- you got me thinking and laughing about one of the ALL TIME FUNNIEST video/youtube traks ever sent to me….I’m sure you guys have seen it…please help me resurrect it…the Brooklyn guy going to the ballgame, subject to searches and long waits…only to be given a bat for Bat Day…and his whole spew on give every passenger on the airline a bat upon entry…….I have to find it!!!
As an aside, I was transporting an infant of recent, and was pulled off to alarms and whistles etc…for the “next step” search. I had NOTHING on me, not even a bottle. Panicked thinking OMG, the sensors really are sensitive–fearing for my long ago sutures. Uh oh. Process repeated, still alarms. On the 4th
attempt and repositioning/removal of this and that….infant taken from me. That was the culprit!!!! And baby “stripped” down to “onesie” to reveal those “crotch snaps” that are enough to send off the alarms. How much more can we do?