One report said the father could not understand why his son was allowed to board a flight to the U.S. given his warning.thats what im wondering, someone droped the ball, or did not classify this terrorist strick enought if his dad warned ppl about him




Investigators: Northwest Bomb Plot Planned by al Qaeda in Yemen
Officials Say Bomb Materials Sewn Into Suspect's Underwear by Top Terror Bomb Maker
By RICHARD ESPOSITO and BRIAN ROSS
http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=9426085

Dec. 26, 2009 —

The plot to blow up an American passenger jet over Detroit was organized and launched by al Qaeda leaders in Yemen who apparently sewed bomb materials into the suspect's underwear before sending him on his mission, federal authorities tell ABC News.

Investigators say the suspect had more than 80 grams of PETN, a compound related to nitro-glycerin used by the military. The so-called shoe bomber, Richard Reid, had only about 50 grams kin his failed attempt in 2001 to blow up a U.S.-bound jet. Yesterday's bomb failed because the detonator may have been too small or was not in "proper contact" with the explosive material, investigators told ABC News.

Investigators say the suspect, Abdul Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian student whose birthday was last Tuesday, has provided detailed information about his recruitment and training for what was supposed to be a Christmas Day suicide attack.

According to the authorities, Abdulmutallab says he made contact via the internet with a radical imam in Yemen who then connected him with al Qaeda leaders in a village north of the country's capital, Sanaa.

Authorities say they do not yet know if the imam was the same one who was in contact with Maj. Nidal Hasan prior to his alleged attack on soldiers at Fort Hood last month. American-born Anwar Awlaki has lived in Yemen since 2002 and is considered a major recruiter for al Qaeda by U.S. authorities. He survived a U.S.-backed air strike earlier this week.

The suspect in the Northwest Airlines attack told FBI agents he lived with the al Qaeda leader in Yemen for about a month and was not allowed to leave as he was trained in what to do and how to do it, authorities said.

At some point, according to the account, Abdulmutallab said he was joined by a Saudi citizen whom he described as an al Qaeda bomb maker.

Bomb Sewn Into Underwear

The device intended to blow up the Northwest flight was made at the location in Yemen, according to Abdulmutallab, and consisted of a six-inch packet of powder and a syringe with a liquid. Both were sewn into the student's underwear so they would be near his testicles and unlikely to be detected, he told agents.

Authorities say the combination of the liquid in the syringe with the powder created the flash bomb, which was extinguished by passengers and air crew.

Investigators are conducting tests to determine the exact nature of the powder and chemicals used.

Abdulmutallab suffered second-degree burns in his genital area, investigators told ABC News.

The al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen has increasingly taken on a lead role in coordinating major terror attacks as the U.S. has disrupted al Qaeda training camps in Pakistan, according to American authorities.

Authorities say the suspected bomber was traveling on a visa issued by the State Department on June 16, 2008 and valid until June 12, 2010. Officials tell ABC News he was on a U.S. "terror watch list" but not on the "no fly" list, which would have prevented him from boarding the flight.

He had previously traveled to the U.S. on an 11-day trip to Houston in Aug. 2008.

Published reports in Nigeria said Abdulmutallab's father had contacted the U.S. embassy six months ago about concerns his son had become radicalized and could pose a threat to the U.S. One report said the father could not understand why his son was allowed to board a flight to the U.S. given his warning.

Thank God it failed..

sometimes I wonder inside /people , causes/plan this~

gypsy wrote:Thank God it failed..

sometimes I wonder inside /people , causes/plan this~

i dont understand ur post, its simple, its islamic extremest terrorism, he wanted or was directed to make sure it happened over the USA not over the ocean,
"The plot to blow up an American passenger jet over Detroit was organized and launched by al Qaeda leaders in Yemen who apparently sewed bomb materials into the suspect's underwear before sending him on his mission," this will only increase, u can be sure the searches of ppl in air terminals will become alot tougher ,,

rosco 357 wrote:

gypsy wrote:Thank God it failed..

sometimes I wonder inside /people , causes/plan this~

i dont understand ur post, its simple, its islamic extremest terrorism, he wanted or was directed to make sure it happened over the USA not over the ocean,
"The plot to blow up an American passenger jet over Detroit was organized and launched by al Qaeda leaders in Yemen who apparently sewed bomb materials into the suspect's underwear before sending him on his mission," this will only increase, u can be sure the searches of ppl in air terminals will become alot tougher ,,

I was talking about inside personal~~ spies in the political field/maybe I have watched to many movies~will it increase more as long as we invade their country ?

gypsy wrote:I was talking about inside personal~~ spies in the political field/maybe I have watched to many movies~will it increase more as long as we invade their country ?

i dont understand spies in the politcal field, this subject has been talked about to much to not undestand these radicals want us dead. not converted but dead, we have not invaded yemen, this is world wide, sounds like u are trying to blame us for the terrorist.. i will post some of a article on what the terrorist just caught had to say to i think the FBI,


http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2785733.ece
FAILED plane bomber Umar Abdulmutallab has bragged to FBI agents that there are more young men plotting to launch attacks on the West.

The 23-year-old Nigerian has told security chiefs of a sinister network in Yemen who are ready and waiting to strike.

The reports come after The Sun revealed that cops fear that 25 British-born Muslims are plotting to bomb Western airliners.

The fanatics, in five groups, are now training at secret terror camps in Yemen.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2785733.ece#ixzz0b0iTZdOs

no I don't actually think we are to blame, but our security sure needs upgraded more

gypsy wrote:no I don't actually think we are to blame, but our security sure needs upgraded more

it was stated on tv news there are 2 security measures on each person boarding a plane, i think the second measure is not done alot of the time, , and i dont think the second one on this guy which was boarded in Amsterdam. i just heard on the tv but im not clear on it, is there is a certain type or a new type of i think microwave xray or something that would have caught this, but im not clear about this i just heard it in the other room on tv, not sure its ready to use or needs to be installed. sure it will always need to be upgraded because this is not going away.. maybe never, ppl willing to strap on a bomb are born every day. but this is old news except for ways to make our planes more secure, all we can do is try to stay one step ahead. they choose holidays because they know security is overloaded with crowds, this guy may have done us a favor, it failed but we will and are getting good intel from him,, and mainly it will toughen up the security at airports i believe.. because of this. we get lazy and it takes acts like this to wake us up again. to do more in the security area.

yes I totally agree. we are flying to Miami the 30th. it is frightening to think about this happening..

gypsy wrote:yes I totally agree. we are flying to Miami the 30th. it is frightening to think about this happening..

its mostly airlines bound for the usa from other countrys to worry about, do u have family in miami???

here is an article about flying since the failed terrorist, got caught, about what to do when flying and what u cant take or hold in ur lap, etc, and how early to arrive,

Ramped up US airport security deepens holiday travel misery
Sun Dec 27, 2:29 pm ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091227/ts_alt_afp/usattacksnigeriaairporttravel_20091227214321/print

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Beleaguered US air passengers faced a slew of new travel woes Sunday, as ramped up airport security following a thwarted Christmas Day terror attack compounded delays from back-to-back record-setting snowstorms.

Air travelers were told Sunday to check in four hours ahead of their scheduled departure times, while bomb-sniffing dogs were visible at airports across the country, US media reported, after a Nigerian man with possible ties to radical Islam was charged with attempting to blow up an airliner on final approach to Detroit Friday.

Once on board their flights, many passengers were told they would be unable to hold coats or blankets in their laps and would not be allowed to enter aircraft restrooms for the last hour of their flights, reports said.

Passengers also reportedly are being told to expect additional airport pat-downs and gate security checks.

The new measures follow the botched Christmas Day attack by terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, accused of trying to bring down a Northwest Airlines flight with 290 people on board by detonating explosive material sewn into his underwear.

The upgraded airport security measures coincides with the annual year-end holiday travel season that got underway the weekend before Christmas and lasts about two weeks, through the New Year holiday.

US Department of Homeland Security director Janet Napolitano said the additional screening measures covered all US airports and all domestic and international flights "to ensure the continued safety of the traveling public."

"Passengers flying from international locations to US destinations may notice additional security measures in place. These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same thing everywhere," she said in a weekend statement.

"Due to the busy holiday travel season, both domestic and international travelers should allot extra time for check-in."

On Sunday, the White House announced that US President Barack Obama ordered a full review of security screening procedures. Spokesman Robert Gibbs acknowledged on US television that in some cases the security protocols were "several years old."

Holiday air travel already has been badly disrupted by two deadly winter storms which paralyzed much of the United States over the past week.

A blizzard struck the US midsection on Wednesday and Thursday, blanketing parts of the country in up to two feet (61 centimeters) of snow and grounding hundreds of flights.

It was the second of two huge storms to hammer the country in recent days, after a record-breaking snowfall along the US east coast last weekend.

no don't have family there, brother,/wife and us are flying there to catch a ship to go on a cruise.

Bon voyage

I never been on a boat cruise, sounds like fun. I want to go on one where Avril Lavigne will be on and performing.,lol

I'd be chasing her around all day..lol

My Mom and Dad went on a cruise once in the 80's, where Frankie Laine was on and preforming. It was a special cruise for Frankie Laine fans. My Mom and Dad met him, and even have pictures with him together. There is a great pic I have with Frankie Laine and his wife with my Mom arm in arm. My Mom was standing in the middle of them, and they had their arms wraped around each other. I should scan that pic and upload it. Its a great picture on the cruise ship.

that is wonderful Tyler I would love to see it~I am going to take lots of pics..
that is January the 30th not December,that we leave.:)

my youngest daughter and her hubby went on one, they left from jacksonville fl. i think to the bahamas and key west, i think 5 days but not sure, did not cost a whole lot.. that was a few years ago..

From Times Online
December 29, 2009
'Hundreds of al-Qaeda militants planning attacks from Yemen'
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article6970574.ece

(Reuters)

Hundreds of al-Qaeda militants are planning terror attacks from Yemen, the country’s Foreign Minister said today.

Abu Bakr al-Qirbi appealed for more help from the international community to help to train and equip counter-terrorist forces.

His plea came after an al-Qaeda group based in Yemen claimed responsibility for the failed Christmas Day airliner bomb plot.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, alleged to be behind the attempt to blow up an American-bound aircraft, spent time in Yemen with al-Qaeda and was in the country only days before the failed attack.

Dr al-Qirbi said: “Of course there are a number of al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen and some of their leaders. We realise this danger.

“They may actually plan attacks like the one we have just had in Detroit. There are maybe hundreds of them — 200, 300.”

Dr al-Qirbi said it was the “responsibility” of countries with strong intelligence capabilities to warn states such as Yemen about the movements of terror suspects.

The United States, Britain and the European Union could do a lot to improve Yemen’s response to militants on its own soil, he added.

“We have to work in a very joint fashion in partnership to combat terrorism,” he said. “If we do, the problem will be brought under control.

“There is support, but I must say it is inadequate. We need more training, we have to expand our counter-terrorism units and provide them with equipment and transportation like helicopters.”

Mr Abdulmutallab is said to have told US agents that there were more people “just like him” ready to carry out attacks.

An al-Qaeda group based in Yemen claimed responsibility yesterday for the failed attempt to bring down Northwest Airlines Flight 253 over Detroit as US President Barack Obama pledged to hunt down the plotters.

Photographs apparently showing the underpants worn by alleged bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and willed with explosives were broadcast today by ABC News.

The American government pictures show the singed underwear with a six-inch packet of a high explosive called PETN sewn into the crotch, the US network reported.

Mr Abdulmutallab was reported to be carrying about 80g of PETN, more than one-and-a-half times the amount carried by Richard Reid, the “shoe bomber”, in 2001 and enough to blow a hole in the side of an aircraft.

Mr Abdulmutallab’s former tutors at University College London, where he was a student between 2005 and 2008, described him as “well-mannered, quietly spoken, polite and able” and said that he never gave any cause for concern. He was president of the institution’s Islamic society between 2006 and 2007.

Nigerian-born Mr Abdulmutallab is being held at a federal prison in Michigan on a charge of trying to destroy an aircraft.

He apparently wrote of his loneliness and struggle between liberalism and Islamic extremism in a series of postings on Facebook and in Islamic chatrooms, The Washington Post reported today.

In January 2005, when he was attending boarding school, he wrote: “I have no one to speak too. No one to consult, no one to support me and I feel depressed and lonely. I do not know what to do. And then I think this loneliness leads me to other problems.”

Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, said it was unlikely that Mr Abdulmutallab acted alone and revealed that he was banned from entering Britain and placed on a “watch list” this year.

Mr Johnson said that the alleged terrorist was refused a new visa and had been monitored since May after applying for a bogus course.

Napolitano should have her head on the chopping block for this blunder, as should the senators who voted against more money for air security..Send the bastard to Gitmo, I will say Bush released 2 detaines back to Yemen who are deeply involved in this attemped attack, but this goes to show you Obama can't send the detainees back there again. Maybe this will wake up our administration, Muslums are not our friends, no loyalty there towards us. The airports have cracked down finally again..and people have the nerve to complain...duhhhhhh..guess they could be picked up in body bags strewn over miles of land or shark food in the ocean...

Barack Obama gets an 'F' for protecting Americans

By Toby Harnden World Last updated: December 30th, 2009

There is no more solemn duty for an American commander-in-chief than the marshalling of “all elements of American power” – the phrase Obama himself used on Monday – to protect the people of the United States. In that key respect, Obama failed on Christmas Day, just as President George W. Bush failed on September 11th (though he succeeded in the seven years after that).

Yes, the buck stops in the Oval Office. Obama may have rather smugly given himself a “B+” for his 2009 performance but he gets an F for the events that led to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab boarding a Detroit-bound plane in Amsterdam with a PETN bomb sewn into his underpants. He said today that a “systemic failure has occurred”. Well, he’s in charge of that system.

The picture we’re getting is more and more alarming by the hour. Here are some key elements to consider:

1. Abdulmutallab’s father spoke several times to the US Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria and visited a CIA officer there to tell him, apparently, that he feared his son was a jihadist being trained in Yemen. According to CNN, the CIA officer wrote up a report, which then sat in the CIA headquarters at Langley for several weeks without being disseminated to the rest of the intelligence community. This was not just a casual encounter. Again according to CNN, there were at least two face-to-face meetings, telephone calls and written correspondence with the father. If it’s true that the CIA sat on this then it beggars belief.

2. After 9/11, the huge bureaucracies of the Homeland Security Department and the Directorate of National Intelligence (DNI) were created. Inside the DNI, the National Counter Terrorism Center was created. These organisations were created to “connect the dots”. It may well be that the fault lay with NCTC and not the CIA – CIA spokesman George Little says here that “key biographical information” and information about “possible extremist connections in Yemen” was passed to NCTC. If NCTC knew about it, then did someone at the National Security Council within the White House? There’s a huge blame game beginning so we’ll no doubt know soon enough.

3. It wasn’t just the meeting with the father. According to CBS, “as early as August of 2009 the Central Intelligence Agency was picking up information on a person of interest dubbed ‘The Nigerian’ suspected of meeting with ‘terrorist elements’ in Yemen”. So there were other parts of the jigsaw that were not put together.

4. In his studied desire to be the unBush by responding coolly to events like this, Obama is dangerously close to failing as a leader. Yes, it is good not to shoot from the hip and make broad assertions without the facts. But Obama took three days before speaking to the American people, emerging on Monday in between golf and tennis games in Hawaii to deliver a rather tepid address that significantly underplayed what happened. He described Abdulmutallab as an “isolated extremist” who “allegedly tried to ignite an explosive device on his body” – phrases that indicate a legalistic, downplaying approach that alarms rather than reassures. Today’s words showed a lot more fire and desire to get on top of things – we’ll see whether Obama follows through with action. In the meantime, he went snorkelling.

5. There has been a pattern developing with the Obama administration trying to minimise terrorist attacks. We saw it with Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad, a Muslim convert who murdered a US Army recruit in Little Rock, Arkansas in June. We saw it with Major Nidal Malik Hassan, a Muslim with Palestinian roots who slaughtered 13 at Fort Hood, Texas last month. In both cases, there were Yemen connections. Obama began to take the same approach with Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. We’ll see whether this incident shakes him out of that complacency. Whether it’s called the war on terror or not, it’s clear that the US is at war against al-Qaeda and radical Islamists.

6. Guantanamo Bay. It seems that two of the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) planners behind this attack were released from Guantanamo Bay during the Bush administration. That calls into question the competence of Bush administration officials but also the wisdom of closing Guantanamo Bay. How many other enemies of America and the West are going to be released back to the battlefield? As Mike Goldfarb asks: “Is the Obama administration seriously still considering sending some 90 Yemeni detainees now being held at Gitmo back to their country of origin, where al Qaeda are apparently running around with impunity?”

7. Janet Napolitano, Obama’s Homeland Security Chief, has been a disaster in this, exhibiting the kind of bureaucratic complacency that makes ordinary citizens want to go postal. On Sunday, she told CNN that “one thing I’d like to point out is that the system worked” and ABC News that “once the incident occurred, the system worked”. A day later, she grumbled that quoted “out of context” before reversing herself, telling NBC: “Our system did not work in this instance. No one is happy or satisfied with that. An extensive review is under way.” The “system worked” comment was a “heckuva job, Brownie” moment. Is she up to the job?

8. Will Obama hold individuals accountable? Briefing the press today behind a cloak of anonymity as a “Senior Administration Official”, Denis McDonough, NSC chief of staff (he gave the game away by saying he was from Minnesota), said that Obama “intends to demand accountability at the highest levels” before adding: ” It remains to be seen what that means exactly.” If heads don’t roll – and soon – then Obama’s words will seem hollow. It’s an opportunity for him to show some real steel.

9. There’s a continued, unfortunate tendency for everyone in Obamaland to preface every comment about something going wrong with a sideswipe against the Bush administration. On Sunday, Bill Burton, Deputy White House Press Secretary, briefed: “On the Sunday shows, Robert Gibbs and Secretary Napolitano made clear that we are pressing ahead with securing our nation against threats and our aggressive posture in the war with al Qaeda. We are winding down a war in Iraq that took our eye off of the terrorists that attacked us, and have dramatically increased our resources in Afghanistan and Pakistan where those terrorists are.” Why pat yourself on the back for “winding down a war in Iraq that took our eye off of the terrorists that attacked us” when the issue at hand is why the US government under Obama, er, took its eyes off a terrorist who did try to attack us and nearly killed 300 people? It’s bordering on the juvenile. Obama’s been president for a year now. It’s time for him to accept that things that happen as his responsibility, not Bush’s. It’s time for him to echo Ronald Reagan, who said over Iran-Contra: “I take full responsibility for my own actions and for those of my administration.”

10. Will there be US air attacks against targets in Yemen? Watch this space. It’s safe to say that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula or AQAP, described to me by a senior intelligence official today as “officially recognised and in corporate terms a sanctioned franchise of al-Qaeda” that is plainly now seeking to become an international rather than just a regional Islamist player.

what news url was this article

this has blog in the url but thats only because he allows ppl to comment after it as most all of them are starting to do, but this is an editorial , but he seems to have his facts pretty well scripted,it was on the new sight i get my news,,,

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyharnden/100020934/barack-obama-gets-an-f-for-protecting-americans/

so it is his /the writers opinion

gypsy wrote:so it is his /the writers opinion

sure thats easy to tell, but he make alot of sense.. and he is a journalist, that searches out his articles,
and its one i agree with, i think its a united kingdom publication,

Toby Harnden is the Daily Telegraph's US Editor, based in Washington DC. More about Toby. Contact toby.harnden@telegraph-usa.com.

sorry the article is based in washington as this was on the url, not sure what part the UK plays ., maybe its owned by a company in the united kingdom but sorry i have over done this info

O'Hare to Get Full Body Scanners
O'Hare will receive full body scanning equipment next year, say officials
By PHIL ROGERS and BJ LUTZ
Updated 8:28 AM CST, Wed, Dec 30, 2009
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/ohare-airport-security-full-body-scanner-80286952.html



O'Hare International Airport will receive full-body passenger scanners next year, perhaps as soon as the first quarter, Chicago's aviation commissioner said today.

"They are coming, but they're not here yet," said Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino during a press event Tuesday.

The scanners were planned well in advance of the unsuccessful Christmas Day bombing attempt on board a Detroit-bound plane.

"Because we do process and we do have a large volume of people that do come to O'Hare, we need to ensure that equipment does work properly, and in some cases, be a testing ground for equipment before it's fully implemented or, you know, all the procedures are well into place can be more challenging," Andolino said. "In this case, I think those will be issued here shortly and will be here. I think that the process is moving forward."


Not everyone is happy with the news. The American Civil Liberties Union say the machines are a classic invasion of privacy.

"It's an invasion," said ACLU Spokesman Ed Yonka. "It's very expensive and is a diversion of resources because someone dropped the ball on a trip from a legitimate person overseas."

Six of the machines, which are made by L-3 Communications Holdings Inc., are being used for what Transportation Security Administration calls "primary screenings" at six U.S. airports: Albuquerque, N.M.; Las Vegas; Miami; San Francisco; Salt Lake City; and Tulsa, Okla.

This means passengers go through the scans instead of a metal detector, although they can elect to receive a pat-down search from a security officer instead.

The remainder of the machines are being used at 13 U.S. airports for secondary screening of passengers who set off a metal detector: Atlanta; Baltimore/Washington; Denver; Dallas/Fort Worth; Indianapolis; Jacksonville and Tampa, Fla.; Los Angeles; Phoenix; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Richmond, Va.; Ronald Reagan Washington National; and Detroit. Travelers can opt for a pat-down instead in those instances as well.

The scanners headed to O'Hare will be set up initially in terminals served by United Airlines and American Airlines as well as in the international terminal, federal security officials have said in the past.

The TSA has paid for 150 of the new scanners and plan to deploy them nationwide after the first of the year.

After 1 year in office how can there still not be a full working cabinet, does safety not hold a high enough priority. What does it take to wake up this White House ?? Heaven forbit to disturb the President in Hawaii for several hours with the details of this terrorist attempt. It is actions like this that confirm out administration is asleep at the helm. A close call risking 300+ lives and why ?? The information was there, what fool ignored it ?? The warnings had been sounded again what fool ignored them ??? This is the comfort we take in trusting our current President and staff..I think not !!!