Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN-05) issued the following statement about the security failures surrounding al Qaeda operative Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's terrorist attack on Northwest Flight 253 on Christmas Day:
"The details surrounding Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's attempt to kill hundreds of Americans on Northwest Flight 253 amount to what is a phenomenal breach of security. This al Qaeda operative offered no shortage of red flags, but none caught the eye of intelligence and security officials. Reports indicated that the laundry list of warning signs includes Mr. Abdulmutallab, who was on the terrorist watch list, buying a one-way ticket with cash, not checking any luggage, and boarding the flight without a passport. Most shocking, his father told the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, weeks ago, that his son had been radicalized and is dangerous.
"The fact that this security breach occurred in such a brazen way means that there was a level of significant incompetence involved, and I believe that rests solely on the shoulders of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. After serving on the Foreign Affairs Committee for the last 25 years, I can say with certainty that Secretary Napolitano does not have the background or experience necessary to execute her responsibilities. Her bizarre remarks on Sunday were the final straw in a series of embarrassing and incompetent comments this year. By saying ‘the system worked,' Secretary Napolitano has undermined the confidence of Americans.
"The ‘system' most assuredly did not work. This is the second time in two months that obvious warning signs were ignored, enabling an attack. The system is broken and regardless of the White House forcing Secretary Napolitano to go on an apology tour, I believe the only course of action is for the Secretary to either resign or be replaced with someone competent and able to protect the lives of the American people. The American people must have confidence in their government's ability to combat the constant threat of terrorism.
"Finally, I have learned from Republicans on the relevant committees that the Obama Administration has once again stonewalled them from information about the attack on Flight 253. With the Administration also excluding Republicans from information about the Ft. Hood shooting, a dangerous pattern of politicizing intelligence information has emerged. This is an irresponsible and petty tactic, which has prevented the whole Congress from working to augment our national security efforts."
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
ROMULUS: Hearing postponed for man accused of trying to blow up airplane
DETROIT — A federal hearing has been postponed for a Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day.
The hearing, originally planned for Monday at U.S. District Court in Detroit, is set for 2 p.m. Jan. 8.
The hearing is for a government warrant for a DNA sample from Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, who is believed to have acted with the al-Qaida terrorist organization.
Abdulmutallab is not expected to attend the hearing.
Reports published Monday said that an al-Qaida group based in the Arabian Peninsula is claiming responsibility for the aborted attack. The group said it was in retaliation for U.S. intelligence that allowed Yemen to make air strikes against al-Qaida.
President Barack Obama addressed the nation Monday afternoon about airline security and steps the government is taking to protect people, saying he will not rest until everyone involved is found.
“We will disrupt, dismantle and defeat those who threaten us,” he said.
Enhanced safety measures at airports were swiftly implemented after the botched attempt to blow up the plane, but airports officials said they haven’t caused undue delays or excessive lines for travelers at Detroit Metropolitan Airport
“(Monday) the check-in lines were longer than normal, but it’s expected for the holiday,” said Michael Conway, Detroit Metro’s director of public affairs.
He said there wasn’t any waiting at security lines.
“Things seem to be going really well and passengers are being really cooperative,” Conway said.
Those passengers likely will have less freedom to move around airplanes during flights, among other security measures imposed after Abdulmutallab tried to ignite an explosive as the plane prepared to land in Detroit.
Instead of exploding, the bomb ignited Abdulmutallab’s legs.
He was arraigned Saturday from the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor before being transferred to a federal prison in Milan.
He is charged with attempting to destroy or wreck an aircraft and placing a destructive device in a plane.
There were about 300 people on the aircraft.
Then, on Sunday, police met another Amsterdam-to-Detroit flight after the crew reported a “verbally disruptive passenger.”
Law enforcement officials said the man posed no security risk to the plane and was only ill.
The Transportation Security Administration didn’t detail the airport restrictions, saying they don’t want terrorists to know about potential security measures. They also declined to say how long the measures would be in effect and said the limits could vary by airport.
“Expect the unexpected,” Conway advised fliers. “You may be getting additional or random screening questions that you haven’t been asked before.”
Paula Evans Neuman of Wyandotte, the News-Herald’s Life & Leisure editor, took a flight out of Metro Airport on Saturday morning. She said there weren’t any noticeable backups or delays at the airport, but she did see extra security.
“They searched my purse even after they already checked me,” she said.
Neuman said that right before she boarded the plane an airport security representative checked the purse she was carrying on. She said she isn’t nervous about flying home.
“If you don’t fly, then you help them,” she said. “You have to be normal.”
While Friday’s incident was going on, travelers on incoming international flights said attendants removed blankets, banned opening overhead bins and told passengers to stay seated with their hands in plain sight.
In Philadelphia, sisters Leslie and Lillian Bernal said security was much tighter as they returned from the Dominican Republic than it had been in September, when they made the same trip.
Leslie, 26, said security screeners in Santo Domingo asked her to lift her long hair so they could look at her back.
“I don’t mind at all,” she said. “I’d rather them do what they have to do.”
At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, TV screens were tuned to a football game, and some passengers were only faintly aware of the incident in Detroit.
Jeff Fox of Alpharetta, Ga., who was returning from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said he will tolerate new restrictions if officials believe they will keep passengers safer.
“I’m one of those who trusts that they’re trying to do the right thing, even if it is a pain,” he said.
Representatives for the airlines said they aren’t too concerned about people not flying. There is no talk of panic, said Jack Riepe of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives.
“We’re not looking at massive cancellations,” he said.
Riepe said, however, that corporate travel managers want the government to explain how Friday’s suspect reached Detroit even though he was on a watchlist maintained by counterterrorism experts.
Obama has asked for those answers, too, and has ordered reviews of the watchlist, policies and procedures.
U.S. officials said the suspect’s father raised concerns about him to them several weeks ago, but the information was too vague to act upon.
Darryl Jenkins, an airline industry consultant, predicted that any increase in airport lines would be temporary, until screeners become proficient at operating under new rules.
U.S. airlines have been appealing to federal officials to make restrictions effective but palatable.
They remember that passengers accepted tough security measures after the 2001 terrorist attacks, which grounded all flights for several days, but that support waned as time went on.
(Associated Press Writer David Koenig contributed to this report.)
The hearing, originally planned for Monday at U.S. District Court in Detroit, is set for 2 p.m. Jan. 8.
The hearing is for a government warrant for a DNA sample from Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, who is believed to have acted with the al-Qaida terrorist organization.
Abdulmutallab is not expected to attend the hearing.
Reports published Monday said that an al-Qaida group based in the Arabian Peninsula is claiming responsibility for the aborted attack. The group said it was in retaliation for U.S. intelligence that allowed Yemen to make air strikes against al-Qaida.
President Barack Obama addressed the nation Monday afternoon about airline security and steps the government is taking to protect people, saying he will not rest until everyone involved is found.
“We will disrupt, dismantle and defeat those who threaten us,” he said.
Enhanced safety measures at airports were swiftly implemented after the botched attempt to blow up the plane, but airports officials said they haven’t caused undue delays or excessive lines for travelers at Detroit Metropolitan Airport
“(Monday) the check-in lines were longer than normal, but it’s expected for the holiday,” said Michael Conway, Detroit Metro’s director of public affairs.
He said there wasn’t any waiting at security lines.
“Things seem to be going really well and passengers are being really cooperative,” Conway said.
Those passengers likely will have less freedom to move around airplanes during flights, among other security measures imposed after Abdulmutallab tried to ignite an explosive as the plane prepared to land in Detroit.
Instead of exploding, the bomb ignited Abdulmutallab’s legs.
He was arraigned Saturday from the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor before being transferred to a federal prison in Milan.
He is charged with attempting to destroy or wreck an aircraft and placing a destructive device in a plane.
There were about 300 people on the aircraft.
Then, on Sunday, police met another Amsterdam-to-Detroit flight after the crew reported a “verbally disruptive passenger.”
Law enforcement officials said the man posed no security risk to the plane and was only ill.
The Transportation Security Administration didn’t detail the airport restrictions, saying they don’t want terrorists to know about potential security measures. They also declined to say how long the measures would be in effect and said the limits could vary by airport.
“Expect the unexpected,” Conway advised fliers. “You may be getting additional or random screening questions that you haven’t been asked before.”
Paula Evans Neuman of Wyandotte, the News-Herald’s Life & Leisure editor, took a flight out of Metro Airport on Saturday morning. She said there weren’t any noticeable backups or delays at the airport, but she did see extra security.
“They searched my purse even after they already checked me,” she said.
Neuman said that right before she boarded the plane an airport security representative checked the purse she was carrying on. She said she isn’t nervous about flying home.
“If you don’t fly, then you help them,” she said. “You have to be normal.”
While Friday’s incident was going on, travelers on incoming international flights said attendants removed blankets, banned opening overhead bins and told passengers to stay seated with their hands in plain sight.
In Philadelphia, sisters Leslie and Lillian Bernal said security was much tighter as they returned from the Dominican Republic than it had been in September, when they made the same trip.
Leslie, 26, said security screeners in Santo Domingo asked her to lift her long hair so they could look at her back.
“I don’t mind at all,” she said. “I’d rather them do what they have to do.”
At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, TV screens were tuned to a football game, and some passengers were only faintly aware of the incident in Detroit.
Jeff Fox of Alpharetta, Ga., who was returning from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said he will tolerate new restrictions if officials believe they will keep passengers safer.
“I’m one of those who trusts that they’re trying to do the right thing, even if it is a pain,” he said.
Representatives for the airlines said they aren’t too concerned about people not flying. There is no talk of panic, said Jack Riepe of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives.
“We’re not looking at massive cancellations,” he said.
Riepe said, however, that corporate travel managers want the government to explain how Friday’s suspect reached Detroit even though he was on a watchlist maintained by counterterrorism experts.
Obama has asked for those answers, too, and has ordered reviews of the watchlist, policies and procedures.
U.S. officials said the suspect’s father raised concerns about him to them several weeks ago, but the information was too vague to act upon.
Darryl Jenkins, an airline industry consultant, predicted that any increase in airport lines would be temporary, until screeners become proficient at operating under new rules.
U.S. airlines have been appealing to federal officials to make restrictions effective but palatable.
They remember that passengers accepted tough security measures after the 2001 terrorist attacks, which grounded all flights for several days, but that support waned as time went on.
(Associated Press Writer David Koenig contributed to this report.)
Detroit terror attack: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab 'defended 9/11'
The 23-year-old suspect in the attempted Christmas Day bombing of Northwest Flight 253 is reported to have shocked friends with his hardline views as far back as 2001.
He is said to have justified the plane attacks by saying that US troops stationed in Saudi Arabia since the 1991 Gulf War had "humiliated" Muslims.
One friend said the Nigerian's views had provoked the first row between them when they discussed the terror attacks in 2006.
"We were talking about 9/11. I was saying under no circumstances could it ever be OK to kill all those innocent people. He was much more equivocal," he told US papers.
"He called 9/11 an act of war - American troops were on Saudi soil and had humiliated Muslim countries so these actions might be necessary. That's the only time I had an argument with him."
Another friend quoted by the Nigerian daily paper Next said he had watched new reports of the 2001 attacks with Abdulmutallab in Lome, Togo, west Africa, where he attended the International School.
"We were together in Lome when the twin towers crashed and we watched it on TV," the friend said.
"We used to call him Pope because of the stately manner in which he carried himself. He was kind of quiet but anytime when there was an argument he would just come alive.
"After the 9/11 thing he actually defended the Taliban's actions saying that they were provoked. Everyone thought he was kidding but he stood his ground."
Shortly afterwards, Abdulmutallab visited London on a school trip and posed for pictures with classmates in front of Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square.
His father, Alhaji Umaru Abdulmutallab, 70, is from Funtua in the largely Muslim northern state of Katsina, and retired as chairman of Nigeria’s oldest bank, First Bank, earlier this month after a distinguished career in finance that included 13 years on the board of the bank.
He reported his concerns about his son's increased radicalisation to the US authorities two months ago and has since spoken of his devastation at the news of his alleged terror bid.
An unnamed brother of Abdulmutallab said that it had been Umar's “extreme views about religion” that had worsened a rift with his family after he graduated from an engineering degree at University College London and dropped out of an an MBA in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
According to Nigerian newspaper This Day, he told his family he wanted to go to an Arab country to learn Arabic, and that he had found an alternative course in Yemen that would take seven years to complete.
The unnamed brother said Umar was a “quiet, nice and gentle” boy and “morally upright”.
“We know Farouk’s extreme views and were always apprehensive of where it may lead him to,” he told This Day.
“He has maintained his distance from us and we never bothered him much. He always wanted to be left alone, so we respect his wishes.”
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