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.”
Yemen warns of hundreds more al-Qaida operatives in country and asks for help
Yemen has warned of hundreds more militants on its soil planning to attack the west and appealed for help to forestall more terror attempts after the failed plot to blow up a transatlantic flight over Detroit.
Yemen's foreign minister, Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, told the BBC up to 300 al-Qaida-backed extremists were waiting to follow the example of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who obtained enough explosive in Yemen to have blown a large hole in the Northwest Airlines aircraft.
"Of course there are a number of al-Qaida 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 ... I can't give you exact figures. There are maybe hundreds of them – 200, 300," he said.
The minister added that Britain, the US and other western nations could do "a lot" to improve Yemen's response to militants on its own soil and it was the "responsibility" of developed countries with strong intelligence capabilities to warn Yemen about the movements of terror suspects.
"We need more training. We have to expand our counter-terrorism units and this means providing them with the necessary training, military equipment, ways of transportation – we are very short of helicopters," he said. He added that the US, UK and EU could do a lot more. "There is support but I must say it is inadequate." Yemen's appeal came as its government confirmed that Abdulmutallab visited the country twice in recent years – for several months in 2005 and again from August until shortly before his failed attempt to down the airliner on Christmas Day. Abdulmutallab has told FBI interrogators that he was trained in Yemen by al-Qaida.
Abdulmutallab described Yemen as "great" in internet postings after visiting the country for the first time to learn Arabic while he was a boarder at an elite international school in west Africa.
As the authorities in the US and Britain continue to investigate how and where it was that he became radicalised, the postings offered a picture of a lonely young man preoccupied with "jihad fantasises" long before he encountered Islamic radicals as a student in London.
In 300 postings between 2005 and 2007 on the Islamic Forum website under the name "farouk1986", the teenage Abdulmutallab spoke of his feelings of isolation.
"Far from home, at a school with few Muslims; 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," he wrote.
In another post in February 2005, Abdulmutallab described where those problems were leading.
"Basically they are jihad fantasies," he wrote. "I imagine how the great jihad will take place. How the Muslims will win, and rule the whole world."
He then added: "Do I have to clarify anything further?"
A friend from the school quoted in the Nigerian newspaper, Next, said that Abdulmutallab was not afraid to express strong views in person either.
"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," he said.
Abdulmutallab also sought advice on the site about maintaining a religious way of life, known as the "deen". He said he was considering applying to American universities, such as Stanford, but settled on University College London because of "the Islamic environment".
On home visits to Nigeria, Abdulmutallab would often preach. Nigeria's Daily Trust newspaper reported that he preached at a school in his home state of Katsina early this year and last. The paper said that the sermons, on themes such as the importance of Muslim women covering themselves with the hijab, were well attended by residents of the middle-class neighbourhood, including Abdulmutallab's own mother.
In a June 2005 posting, Abdulmutallab wrote about a three-month trip to Yemen to study Arabic.
The Yemeni government has confirmed that Abdulmutallab was in the country four years ago and returned between August and December of this year.
In the middle of that trip he told his family he wished to cut off contact. His father contacted the US embassy in Nigeria to warn the Americans that he considered his son a threat. There is growing focus in Washington on why that warning went largely unheeded.
American diplomats in Abuja sent a cable to Washington saying that Abdulmutallab's father was "concerned that his son was falling under the influence of religious extremists in Yemen".
The state department notified the national counterterrorism centre but neither body checked to see if Abdulmutallab held a US visa. In fact, he was issued one at the US embassy in London last year.
Al Qaeda ties of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab: How deep do they go?
Investigations into where alleged Northwest Airlines bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab got his explosives point toward Yemen and its local Al Qaeda offshoot. Foreign Policy Magazine's latest Failed State Index named Yemen as particularly troubling.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is believed to be led by the Yemeni Nasir Wuhaishi. The group was created in early 2008 with an announcement that the loosely knit organization's Saudi Arabian and Yemeni branches leaderships were being merged.
Since then, in addition to their claim of responsibility for the failed Northwest Airlines attack, they've been involved in a number of attacks. Most intriguingly, the group claimed responsibility for a failed August assassination attempt against Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Saudi Arabia's point man for dismantling Al Qaeda. His would-be assassin posed as a former militant seeking to come in from the cold and arranged a meeting with Prince Nayef. He concealed a bomb that was constructed of PETN, and placed a crude detonator in his underwear. That was the same plastic explosive and method of concealment Abdulmutallab allegedly used.
Some American politicians have speculated that there may be a link between the alleged Nigerian bomber and Anwar al-Awlaki, the US citizen and Yemen-based cleric who appeared to inspire Major Abdul Malik Hasan, the Army doctor accused of murdering 13 of his comrades at Fort Hood in November. Mr. Awlaki was a recent target of a US-backed air strike in Yemen, and until recently ran a popular website urging Sunni Muslims to fight the US, Israel, and other perceived enemies of Islam, and was an e-mail correspondent of Major Hasan's. No evidence has yet emerged that Abdulmutallab was in contact with Awlaki, though Yemen's Foreign Ministry says that he was in the country from early August to early December on a visa to study Arabic in Sanaa, the capital.
Mr. Awlaki claimed on his now-defunct blog that he had been a lecturer at Iman University in Sanaa.
PETN is a widely available explosive, used by world armies and mining companies, usually as an ingredient in plastic explosives like Semtex or in detonation cords. Yemen has long been a major trading and transit hub for weapons. In the summer of 2002, an accidental explosion at a Sanaa warehouse led to the discovery of 650 pounds of Semtex that Yemeni authorities alleged at the time were in the possession of Al Qaeda-linked militants.
As for Abdulmutallab, the recent plot sheds light on an often overlooked fact: While President Barack Obama said in December that "I am convinced that our security is at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is the epicenter of the violent extremism practiced by al-Qaeda" – most recent international attacks have emanated from elsewhere.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is believed to be led by the Yemeni Nasir Wuhaishi. The group was created in early 2008 with an announcement that the loosely knit organization's Saudi Arabian and Yemeni branches leaderships were being merged.
Since then, in addition to their claim of responsibility for the failed Northwest Airlines attack, they've been involved in a number of attacks. Most intriguingly, the group claimed responsibility for a failed August assassination attempt against Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Saudi Arabia's point man for dismantling Al Qaeda. His would-be assassin posed as a former militant seeking to come in from the cold and arranged a meeting with Prince Nayef. He concealed a bomb that was constructed of PETN, and placed a crude detonator in his underwear. That was the same plastic explosive and method of concealment Abdulmutallab allegedly used.
Some American politicians have speculated that there may be a link between the alleged Nigerian bomber and Anwar al-Awlaki, the US citizen and Yemen-based cleric who appeared to inspire Major Abdul Malik Hasan, the Army doctor accused of murdering 13 of his comrades at Fort Hood in November. Mr. Awlaki was a recent target of a US-backed air strike in Yemen, and until recently ran a popular website urging Sunni Muslims to fight the US, Israel, and other perceived enemies of Islam, and was an e-mail correspondent of Major Hasan's. No evidence has yet emerged that Abdulmutallab was in contact with Awlaki, though Yemen's Foreign Ministry says that he was in the country from early August to early December on a visa to study Arabic in Sanaa, the capital.
Mr. Awlaki claimed on his now-defunct blog that he had been a lecturer at Iman University in Sanaa.
PETN is a widely available explosive, used by world armies and mining companies, usually as an ingredient in plastic explosives like Semtex or in detonation cords. Yemen has long been a major trading and transit hub for weapons. In the summer of 2002, an accidental explosion at a Sanaa warehouse led to the discovery of 650 pounds of Semtex that Yemeni authorities alleged at the time were in the possession of Al Qaeda-linked militants.
As for Abdulmutallab, the recent plot sheds light on an often overlooked fact: While President Barack Obama said in December that "I am convinced that our security is at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is the epicenter of the violent extremism practiced by al-Qaeda" – most recent international attacks have emanated from elsewhere.
The Lonely, Murderous Sons of Allah: A Psycho-analytic View
One is the 17th son; the other is the 16th son. Neither are the sons of a first wife. One is an engineer; the other was an engineering student. Both have ancestral roots in Yemen. Both are educated and come from wealthy families.
I am talking about Osama bin Laden–the 17th son among 57 children whose father is Yemeni–and the Christmas Day Bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab–the 16th and youngest son, whose mother is Yemeni. Both men were born “shamed,” disadvantaged, because their mothers were not “first,” or high-status wives.
Both men are lonely sons of Allah, yearning for paternal attention, even affection, in a polygamous culture in which fathers have too many children and little incentive to pay close attention to any one of them. This is devastating, especially to sons, because the culture overly values fathers and men, and grossly undervalues mothers and women. Thus, the attention a son may receive from his mother (if she is not sent away, as Bin Laden’s mother was) does not make up for the missing and longed-for father.
I have often thought that the way many Arab Muslim brothers brutally order their sisters around not only reflects how their fathers treat everyone but is also a measure of their frustration about not being able to bond with their absent, lordly fathers. Thus, for a number of reasons, prison-style sexuality as well as homosexuality and homosexual pederasty is as rampant as it is forbidden in Arab and Muslim culture.
Arab and Muslim sons desperately want their fathers. But their fathers are busy marrying other, younger wives, having other, newer children, and founding financial empires. They want their fathers to redeem them from the shameful fate of living in a world of mainly women–which they do when they are very young; and of course, they want their fathers for reasons of identity and inheritance.
Based on his memoirs, even our totally assimilated American President is still in search of his missing, absent, polygamous Muslim father. Folks: The comparison stops here. I am not suggesting that Obama has anything else in common with Bin Laden or Abdulmutallab.
Both Osama bin Laden and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab are dreamy, disassociated, unnaturally calm, “removed,” and, according to my friend and colleague, Dr. Nancy L. Kobrin, perhaps “slightly autistic.” These men do not relate well to others. Both men have “issues” with women. They can’t really connect with them—but when they do, their need to control them is extreme.
By the way: Dr. Kobrin’s new book, The Banality of Suicide Terrorism: The Naked Truth About the Psychology of Islamic Suicide Bombing will be out early next year. (Full disclosure: I have written the Introduction for it).
According to Dr. Kobrin, many of our best counter-terrorist experts have “not been that interested in the early childhood development” of Islamic suicide or martyr-killers. This is entirely understandable but a bit short-sighted. Their goal is short-range: To detect and stop the next martyr-killer, be he homegrown, foreign, a loner, connected to a network, male or female. The longer range view is far more daunting, and not in western hands. Yet, allow me to say it anyway.
If Arab Muslims truly want to change the culture in which terrorism flourishes and which includes the master handlers and manipulators (Nancy Kobrin and I call them “serial killers by proxy”), the sexually repressed and permanently “shamed” young men, the permanently endangered women, and the homicide-and-hate preachers—that culture will have to undergo a revolution as far as women are concerned.
Think about what that revolution might look like. Polygamy; forced, arranged child marriage; purdah; forced veiling; female illiteracy; female genital mutilation; female sexual slavery; gender segregation; sexual repression/obsession; in short, everything that characterizes Islamic gender apartheid would have to go.
As would Islamic religious apartheid.
If not, we will be playing catch-up for a hundred years with hundreds of thousands of would be martyr-killers, some of whom we ourselves will release and have to catch again. (Two of Abdulmutallab’s handlers were once imprisoned in Gitmo but we let them go).
And, by the way, the West had better wake up and understand that these acts of terrorism have absolutely nothing to do with the alleged American “occupation” of Iraq or the alleged Israeli “occupation” of Palestine or with alleged past western crimes of colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, Crusadism–or with issues of poverty and illiteracy. Bin Laden, Abdulmutallab are educated and wealthy and not all that altruistic. Jihadists, martyr-killers, suicide bombers, all believe that they are doing what the Qu’ran commands them to do: Kill the infidel, take over all infidel lands. For those who say that this is not their Islam: I say, Bring on that Islamic Reformation. If it were ever needed, it is needed now.
Dr. Kobrin points out that “Bin Laden’s father was from the area of Yemen called Hadramaut which means “death has come.”
Aptly, chillingly, named.
And, think about it: Abdulmutallab was willing to set fire to his genitals. The explosives were not only taped to his leg, they were also contained in a condom-like pouch in his crotch inside his underwear. If anyone out there is willing to think symbolically, psycho-analytically, here goes: We are looking at a young man whose sexuality is literally “on fire,” whose ability or desire to procreate is all bound up with his desire to kill and die.
Eros versus Thanatos. Good versus Evil. Big stuff.
I am talking about Osama bin Laden–the 17th son among 57 children whose father is Yemeni–and the Christmas Day Bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab–the 16th and youngest son, whose mother is Yemeni. Both men were born “shamed,” disadvantaged, because their mothers were not “first,” or high-status wives.
Both men are lonely sons of Allah, yearning for paternal attention, even affection, in a polygamous culture in which fathers have too many children and little incentive to pay close attention to any one of them. This is devastating, especially to sons, because the culture overly values fathers and men, and grossly undervalues mothers and women. Thus, the attention a son may receive from his mother (if she is not sent away, as Bin Laden’s mother was) does not make up for the missing and longed-for father.
I have often thought that the way many Arab Muslim brothers brutally order their sisters around not only reflects how their fathers treat everyone but is also a measure of their frustration about not being able to bond with their absent, lordly fathers. Thus, for a number of reasons, prison-style sexuality as well as homosexuality and homosexual pederasty is as rampant as it is forbidden in Arab and Muslim culture.
Arab and Muslim sons desperately want their fathers. But their fathers are busy marrying other, younger wives, having other, newer children, and founding financial empires. They want their fathers to redeem them from the shameful fate of living in a world of mainly women–which they do when they are very young; and of course, they want their fathers for reasons of identity and inheritance.
Based on his memoirs, even our totally assimilated American President is still in search of his missing, absent, polygamous Muslim father. Folks: The comparison stops here. I am not suggesting that Obama has anything else in common with Bin Laden or Abdulmutallab.
Both Osama bin Laden and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab are dreamy, disassociated, unnaturally calm, “removed,” and, according to my friend and colleague, Dr. Nancy L. Kobrin, perhaps “slightly autistic.” These men do not relate well to others. Both men have “issues” with women. They can’t really connect with them—but when they do, their need to control them is extreme.
By the way: Dr. Kobrin’s new book, The Banality of Suicide Terrorism: The Naked Truth About the Psychology of Islamic Suicide Bombing will be out early next year. (Full disclosure: I have written the Introduction for it).
According to Dr. Kobrin, many of our best counter-terrorist experts have “not been that interested in the early childhood development” of Islamic suicide or martyr-killers. This is entirely understandable but a bit short-sighted. Their goal is short-range: To detect and stop the next martyr-killer, be he homegrown, foreign, a loner, connected to a network, male or female. The longer range view is far more daunting, and not in western hands. Yet, allow me to say it anyway.
If Arab Muslims truly want to change the culture in which terrorism flourishes and which includes the master handlers and manipulators (Nancy Kobrin and I call them “serial killers by proxy”), the sexually repressed and permanently “shamed” young men, the permanently endangered women, and the homicide-and-hate preachers—that culture will have to undergo a revolution as far as women are concerned.
Think about what that revolution might look like. Polygamy; forced, arranged child marriage; purdah; forced veiling; female illiteracy; female genital mutilation; female sexual slavery; gender segregation; sexual repression/obsession; in short, everything that characterizes Islamic gender apartheid would have to go.
As would Islamic religious apartheid.
If not, we will be playing catch-up for a hundred years with hundreds of thousands of would be martyr-killers, some of whom we ourselves will release and have to catch again. (Two of Abdulmutallab’s handlers were once imprisoned in Gitmo but we let them go).
And, by the way, the West had better wake up and understand that these acts of terrorism have absolutely nothing to do with the alleged American “occupation” of Iraq or the alleged Israeli “occupation” of Palestine or with alleged past western crimes of colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, Crusadism–or with issues of poverty and illiteracy. Bin Laden, Abdulmutallab are educated and wealthy and not all that altruistic. Jihadists, martyr-killers, suicide bombers, all believe that they are doing what the Qu’ran commands them to do: Kill the infidel, take over all infidel lands. For those who say that this is not their Islam: I say, Bring on that Islamic Reformation. If it were ever needed, it is needed now.
Dr. Kobrin points out that “Bin Laden’s father was from the area of Yemen called Hadramaut which means “death has come.”
Aptly, chillingly, named.
And, think about it: Abdulmutallab was willing to set fire to his genitals. The explosives were not only taped to his leg, they were also contained in a condom-like pouch in his crotch inside his underwear. If anyone out there is willing to think symbolically, psycho-analytically, here goes: We are looking at a young man whose sexuality is literally “on fire,” whose ability or desire to procreate is all bound up with his desire to kill and die.
Eros versus Thanatos. Good versus Evil. Big stuff.
US plane suspect spent months in Yemen
The authorities in Yemen have confirmed that the man charged with trying to blow up a US plane on Christmas Day was in the Yemeni capital Sanaa until early this month.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab has reportedly said al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen had supplied him with the bomb and that there were others like him who would strike soon.
A Yemeni government spokesperson says the 23-year-old Nigerian was in Sanaa from the beginning of August on a visa to study Arabic.
A Yemen-based branch of the network has claimed it planned the failed attack on the Detroit-bound jet on Christmas Day.
Meanwhile, Yemen's foreign minister has told the BBC his government is not getting enough support from the West to tackle al-Qaeda.
Abu Bakr al-Qirbi said several hundred al-Qaeda members were estimated to be operating in Yemen and could be planning more attacks.
Yemen had the will and ability to deal with al-Qaeda, he said, but was undermined by a lack of support.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab has reportedly said al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen had supplied him with the bomb and that there were others like him who would strike soon.
A Yemeni government spokesperson says the 23-year-old Nigerian was in Sanaa from the beginning of August on a visa to study Arabic.
A Yemen-based branch of the network has claimed it planned the failed attack on the Detroit-bound jet on Christmas Day.
Meanwhile, Yemen's foreign minister has told the BBC his government is not getting enough support from the West to tackle al-Qaeda.
Abu Bakr al-Qirbi said several hundred al-Qaeda members were estimated to be operating in Yemen and could be planning more attacks.
Yemen had the will and ability to deal with al-Qaeda, he said, but was undermined by a lack of support.
Yemen investigates whether bomb suspect contacted al-Qaida during time in country
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab spent two extended periods in Yemen, as recently as this month, said Yemen's Information Minister Hassan al-Lozy. Investigators said he spent at least part of the time studying Arabic at a school in the capital of San'a, where students and administrators described him as friendly and outgoing with no overtly extremist views. As part of the investigation, the principal of a school where he studied was being questioned Tuesday.
Abdulmutallab told his parents he wanted to study Islamic Sharia law only a few months ago, something his father said he couldn't do. Abdulmutallab response was a text message from an unknown cell phone number saying he never would talk to his family again, Nigerian Information Minister Dora Akunyili said Tuesday.
U.S. authorities have been trying to determine how Abdulmutallab, 23, managed to board a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit with explosives even though he was flagged on a watchlist as a possible terrorist. U.S. officials have said he told investigators after his arrest that he received training in Yemen.
The Yemeni information minister said the U.S. never shared its suspicions about Abdulmutallab with Yemen, a largely lawless country that has turned into a key stronghold for al-Qaida.
"We didn't get any notice from the Americans to put this man on a list," al-Lozy said. "America should have told Yemen about this man, as they have of others."
Abdulmutallab lived in Yemen for two different periods of time, a year from 2004-2005 and from August-December this year, he said. He arrived in August after receiving a visa to study Arabic in the capital San'a.
Yemen's Foreign Ministry said Monday Abdulmutallab received a Yemeni visa after authorities were reassured that he had "several visas from a number of friendly countries." It noted that Abdulmutallab had a valid visa to the United States, which he had visited in the past. The embassy has now been instructed not to issue any more visas to students who want to study in the country without Interior Ministry approval.
The San'a Institute for the Arabic Language told The Associated Press that Abdulmutallab was an Arabic student at the school in August. That has raised questions about what he did the rest of his time in Yemen. Administrators at the school said Monday that the director of the school, Muhammad al-Anisi, has spent two days being questioned by Yemeni security officials. He remained in custody Tuesday.
Al-Lozy later told The Associated Press authorities are also looking into Abdulmutallab's frequent visits to a mosque in the old, historic part of the city and the people he was with during his stay in Yemen.
Students and administrators at the institute said Abdulmutallab was gregarious, had many Yemeni friends and was not overtly extremist. They noted, however, he was open about his sympathies toward the Palestinians and his anger over Israel's actions in Gaza.
The students and administrators spoke on condition of anonymity because Yemeni security authorities have ordered them not to talk to the media.
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the attempted attack on the airliner and said it was retaliation for a U.S. operation against the group in Yemen. More than 60 militants were killed in airstrikes last week believed to have been carried out with U.S. assistance.
Yemen: Up to 300 more plotting to strike United States
SAN’A, Yemen — Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is far from alone.
Hundreds of other fighters from Yemen, where Abdulmutallab may have received his instructions to bomb a US-bound flight on Christmas Day, are planning attacks, according to a new report.
Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, Yemen's foreign minister, made the claim as he asked for help from the international community to train and equip counter-terrorist forces, the Times of London reported today.
Just yesterday, al Qaeda in Yemen said it was behind Abdulmutallab's attempted bombing of the Northwest Amsterdam to Detroit flight. Abdulmutallab reportedly also has told the FBI that there are others like him on the way.
PLOTTER'S WRITING SHOWS SEXUAL DESIRES
REP. KING: MILITARY TRIBUNAL FOR BOMBER
BOMBER HAD ENOUGH EXPLOSIVES TO BLOW HOLE IN PLANE
GOONS BEHIND TERROR TRY CAME FROM GITMO
PHOTOS: UMAR FAROUK ABDULMUTALLAB
"Of course there are a number of al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen and some of their leaders. We realize this danger," al-Qirbi told the Times.
"They may actually plan attacks like the one we have just had in Detroit. There are maybe hundreds of them -- 200, 300." Countries with strong intelligence capabilities have a “responsibility" to warn Yemen about the movements of terror suspects, he said.
"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."
Yemen officials also chastised the US, saying it should have shared its warnings about the Nigerian suspect, and said it was tightening restrictions on student visas like the one that allowed the young man to enter the country.
Information Minister Hassan al-Lozy confirmed that Abdulmutallab spent two extended periods in Yemen, as recently as this month, and that authorities were trying to determine what he did during that time. Investigators said he spent at least part of the time studying Arabic at a school in the capital of San’a, where students and administrators described him as friendly and outgoing with no overtly extremist views. As part of the investigation, the principal of a school where he studied was being questioned Tuesday.
U.S. authorities have been trying to determine how Abdulmutallab, 23, managed to board a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit with explosives even though he was flagged on a watchlist as a possible terrorist. U.S. officials have said he told investigators after his arrest that he received training in Yemen.
Al-Lozy said that the U.S. never shared its suspicions about Abdulmutallab with Yemen, a largely lawless country that has turned into a key stronghold for al-Qaida.
“We didn’t get any notice from the Americans to put this man on a list,” al-Lozy said. “America should have told Yemen about this man, as they have of others.”
Abdulmutallab lived in Yemen for two different periods of time, a year from 2004-2005 and from August-December this year, he said. He arrived in August after receiving a visa to study Arabic in the capital San’a.
Al-Qirbi said yesterday Abdulmutallab received a Yemeni visa after authorities were reassured that he had “several visas from a number of friendly countries.” It noted that Abdulmutallab had a valid visa to the United States, which he had visited in the past. The embassy has now been instructed not to issue any more visas to students who want to study in the country without Interior Ministry approval.
The San’a Institute for the Arabic Language told The Associated Press that Abdulmutallab was an Arabic student at the school in August. That has raised questions about what he did the rest of his time in Yemen. Administrators at the school said Monday that the director of the school, Muhammad al-Anisi, has spent two days being questioned by Yemeni security officials. He remained in custody Tuesday.
Al-Lozy later told The Associated Press authorities are also looking into Abdulmutallab’s frequent visits to a mosque in the old, historic part of the city and the people he was with during his stay in Yemen.
Students and administrators at the institute said Abdulmutallab was gregarious, had many Yemeni friends and was not overtly extremist. They noted, however, he was open about his sympathies toward the Palestinians and his anger over Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The students and administrators spoke on condition of anonymity because Yemeni security authorities have ordered them not to talk to the media.
Hundreds of other fighters from Yemen, where Abdulmutallab may have received his instructions to bomb a US-bound flight on Christmas Day, are planning attacks, according to a new report.
Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, Yemen's foreign minister, made the claim as he asked for help from the international community to train and equip counter-terrorist forces, the Times of London reported today.
Just yesterday, al Qaeda in Yemen said it was behind Abdulmutallab's attempted bombing of the Northwest Amsterdam to Detroit flight. Abdulmutallab reportedly also has told the FBI that there are others like him on the way.
PLOTTER'S WRITING SHOWS SEXUAL DESIRES
REP. KING: MILITARY TRIBUNAL FOR BOMBER
BOMBER HAD ENOUGH EXPLOSIVES TO BLOW HOLE IN PLANE
GOONS BEHIND TERROR TRY CAME FROM GITMO
PHOTOS: UMAR FAROUK ABDULMUTALLAB
"Of course there are a number of al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen and some of their leaders. We realize this danger," al-Qirbi told the Times.
"They may actually plan attacks like the one we have just had in Detroit. There are maybe hundreds of them -- 200, 300." Countries with strong intelligence capabilities have a “responsibility" to warn Yemen about the movements of terror suspects, he said.
"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."
Yemen officials also chastised the US, saying it should have shared its warnings about the Nigerian suspect, and said it was tightening restrictions on student visas like the one that allowed the young man to enter the country.
Information Minister Hassan al-Lozy confirmed that Abdulmutallab spent two extended periods in Yemen, as recently as this month, and that authorities were trying to determine what he did during that time. Investigators said he spent at least part of the time studying Arabic at a school in the capital of San’a, where students and administrators described him as friendly and outgoing with no overtly extremist views. As part of the investigation, the principal of a school where he studied was being questioned Tuesday.
U.S. authorities have been trying to determine how Abdulmutallab, 23, managed to board a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit with explosives even though he was flagged on a watchlist as a possible terrorist. U.S. officials have said he told investigators after his arrest that he received training in Yemen.
Al-Lozy said that the U.S. never shared its suspicions about Abdulmutallab with Yemen, a largely lawless country that has turned into a key stronghold for al-Qaida.
“We didn’t get any notice from the Americans to put this man on a list,” al-Lozy said. “America should have told Yemen about this man, as they have of others.”
Abdulmutallab lived in Yemen for two different periods of time, a year from 2004-2005 and from August-December this year, he said. He arrived in August after receiving a visa to study Arabic in the capital San’a.
Al-Qirbi said yesterday Abdulmutallab received a Yemeni visa after authorities were reassured that he had “several visas from a number of friendly countries.” It noted that Abdulmutallab had a valid visa to the United States, which he had visited in the past. The embassy has now been instructed not to issue any more visas to students who want to study in the country without Interior Ministry approval.
The San’a Institute for the Arabic Language told The Associated Press that Abdulmutallab was an Arabic student at the school in August. That has raised questions about what he did the rest of his time in Yemen. Administrators at the school said Monday that the director of the school, Muhammad al-Anisi, has spent two days being questioned by Yemeni security officials. He remained in custody Tuesday.
Al-Lozy later told The Associated Press authorities are also looking into Abdulmutallab’s frequent visits to a mosque in the old, historic part of the city and the people he was with during his stay in Yemen.
Students and administrators at the institute said Abdulmutallab was gregarious, had many Yemeni friends and was not overtly extremist. They noted, however, he was open about his sympathies toward the Palestinians and his anger over Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The students and administrators spoke on condition of anonymity because Yemeni security authorities have ordered them not to talk to the media.
More bombers on their way, Nigerian tells FBI
More bombers are on their way to target America, the Nigerian al-Qaeda suspect charged with trying to blow up a United States airliner has told the FBI, setting alarm bells among the intelligence and security apparatus here.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab told the FBI that “there were more just like him in Yemen and would strike soon,” the ABC News reported, quoting officials familiar with the investigation.
A tape released by al Qaeda leaders in Yemen four days before the failed attempt to blow up the plane, said: “we are carrying bomb to hit the enemies of god.”
Abdulmutallab, 23, was arrested soon after his failed bid to ignite explosives inside the Amsterdam-Detroit Northwest Airlines flight 253 on Christmas Day with nearly 300 people on board.
The explosive was identified as PETN – pentaerythritol tetranitrate, which was concealed in his underwear.
According to news reports, Abdulmutallab told the FBI that he was trained for more than a month in Yemen, given 80 grams of the explosive cleverly sewn into his underpants, that went undetected by standard security screening.
“They know that this is a weakness and an Achilles’ heel in our airport security system,” said ABC News consultant and former counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab told the FBI that “there were more just like him in Yemen and would strike soon,” the ABC News reported, quoting officials familiar with the investigation.
A tape released by al Qaeda leaders in Yemen four days before the failed attempt to blow up the plane, said: “we are carrying bomb to hit the enemies of god.”
Abdulmutallab, 23, was arrested soon after his failed bid to ignite explosives inside the Amsterdam-Detroit Northwest Airlines flight 253 on Christmas Day with nearly 300 people on board.
The explosive was identified as PETN – pentaerythritol tetranitrate, which was concealed in his underwear.
According to news reports, Abdulmutallab told the FBI that he was trained for more than a month in Yemen, given 80 grams of the explosive cleverly sewn into his underpants, that went undetected by standard security screening.
“They know that this is a weakness and an Achilles’ heel in our airport security system,” said ABC News consultant and former counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke.
Profile of X’Mas Terrorism Suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab Emerges
The young, Nigerian man being held in prison after he allegedly tried to blow himself up on an airplane Christmas Day is a study in contradictions, some reports say.
But, according to one expert, 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is a near perfect match to the profile of a modern terrorist.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on a trip to London as a high school student.
Abdulmutallab, who only set his lap ablaze after he failed to properly detonate explosive powder hidden in his underwear on a flight to Detroit Metro Airport, awaits criminal proceedings. Meanwhile, law enforcement officials, passengers who escaped his death plot on Flight 253, and the general public learn about Abdulmutallab’s upbringing and personal background. Among the details:
• Abdulmutallab received some of the best education available, including enrollment at the British International School in West Africa and the University College, London.
• The suspect’s father Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, who recently alerted government officials of his concern that his son held dangerous religious views, was once chairman of First Bank of Nigeria.
• The family of the suspect’s mother is originally from Yemen.
• Abdulmutallab was known in school by the nickname, “The Pope,” because of his priestly demeanor.
• A soccer fan, the suspect also is reportedly an avid reader.
• Abdulmutallab reportedly expressed concerns that his religious views would keep him from attending a high school prom.
A 2004 study, “Understanding Terrorist Networks,” suggests that the suspect’s privileged background is consistent with what agents often sacrifice in terror plots. Prepared by forensic psychiatrist and ex-CIA case officer Marc Sageman, the report found finds that 90 percent of would-be terrorists come from stable homes, three-quarters are from middle- to upper-economic-class families and that two-thirds have some college education. The average age for committing their lives to violence in the name of religion was 26, at the time of Sageman’s research, and most terrorists were married with children.
According to intelligence officials and scholars of radical Islam, the attraction to radical forms of religion and politics for affluent, educated, young Muslims grows out of sense of alienation. They are usually idealistic "outsiders" who come of age heavily exposed to Western education and culture and, when they become adults, reject those values as they establish their own identitites.
Many of them are also critical of their parents, who they feel are too politically passive and do not stand up for their religion against the influences of Christianity or Western culture, foes of Islam in their perception.
Contrary to the stereotype that terrorists are “crazy,” the study showed that only one in 100 demonstrated psychological problems. “They came from moderately religious, caring, middle-class families,” writes Sageman. “They spoke three, four, five, six languages.
Bomb suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on UK watch-list
A man charged with trying to blow up a transatlantic plane had been on a UK watch-list, the government has said.
He targeted a Detroit-bound flight from Amsterdam with explosives hidden in his clothes, it is claimed.
Police are searching several London properties linked to the Nigerian ex-University College London student.
Father's fears
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said people on the same list as Mr Abdulmutallab could not come into the UK, although they could pass through the country in transit and were not permanently banned.
Those on a more serious watch-list for terror-related reasons would automatically have their details passed on internationally, but this is not always the case with information about a person rejected because of concerns about an academic application.
Mr Abdulmutallab had also been on the US's lowest risk watch-list since November, although it allowed him to travel on planes flying into the country.
He was placed on it by US authorities after his father contacted both Nigerian and foreign officials to express his concerns after his son had ceased contact with his family.
The home secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the US authorities should theoretically have been informed that Mr Abdulmutallab was on a UK watch-list, and he doubted there had been a "hiccup" in procedures.
He said the UK's border security was extremely "robust": "We have a very, very strong border in this country, we have strong security measures. We've now monitored 135 million people trying to enter the country."
Mr Johnson also said there was a need to establish the nature of Mr Abdulmutallab's activities while he studied in the UK from 2005 to 2008.
He said he did not believe that Mr Abdulmutallab had been acting alone, adding that police and security services were examining whether he had been radicalised while at University College London (UCL).
UCL has confirmed that a person of the same name and description as Mr Abdulmutallab took an engineering with business finance degree at the university between September 2005 and June 2008, when he successfully graduated.
In a statement on Monday, UCL said it was "deeply shocked" by recent events.
"During his time on the course, Mr Abdulmutallab never gave his tutors any cause for concern and was a well mannered, quietly spoken, polite and able young man," it said.
A spokesman also confirmed that Mr Abdulmutallab was president of UCL's Islamic society between 2006 and 2007.
'Downright complacent'
Concerns have been raised about how Mr Abdulmutallab allegedly managed to take a device - constructed from explosives moulded around his body - onto a plane.
The home secretary said the UK intended to be "at the cutting edge" of full body scanning technology, and would "put it in place as quickly as possible".
"There is an issue of cost, and you always have to get this balance between ensuring that the security of our population, which is our primary concern, is balanced against people going about their normal daily business," he added.
Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said: "We should not jump to any conclusions following the events in the United States, but the home secretary is being downright complacent if he thinks we have a tight and secure student visa system."
BBC security correspondent Gordon Correra said the alleged attack prompted a number of questions about Mr Abdulmutallab, as well as many concerning the relationship between authorities in the UK and US.
"The key question is what did the authorities know about him before the attack?
"In terms of the UK there has been the suggestion that he might have crossed the radar of the security service MI5 while he was in the UK, but without any indication that he was planning an attack. But was he in contact with any extremists here?"
Our correspondent also said Mr Abdulmutallab's most recent application for a UK visa raised the question of why he would want to enter the country.
Extra check-in time
Air travellers are undergoing "pat-down" searches before boarding, and being restricted to one item of hand luggage.
Several US-bound flights from London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports were delayed by two or three hours on Sunday.
US authorities introduced the measures, along with a ban on leaving seats in the hour before landing, after Mr Abdulmutallab was tackled on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam as it approached Detroit on Friday.
UK airport operator BAA said airline staff were carrying out checks, and advised passengers to leave extra time to check in.
Airport security in the clouds
On Christmas Day there was a potential airline terrorist incident here in the United States. My in-laws, a retired couple living in Wyoming, were flying from Billings, Mont., to New York. After stripping them of their coats, belts, and shoes, an alert Federal TSA security officer spotted a 6-ounce tub of yogurt with live active enzymes. Loath to throw out a perfectly good container of Greek God, fig-flavored, acidophilus-infused yogurt with a fig at the bottom, my mother-in-law dug the plastic spoon out of her backpack (I’m surprised they were going to let her on the plane with a potentially deadly plastic spoon) and defiantly indulged herself before getting back in line.
We can all feel safer knowing that every reasonable precaution is being taken to ensure our flight safety in a terror-free America.
In a separate, unrelated incident, a 23-year old Nigerian man named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to blow up a plane as it approached Detroit from Amsterdam using a pouch of chemicals sewn inside his underwear. Thankfully, despite his engineering degree from University College London, he only set himself aflame.
TSA immediately announced security measures even more personally invasive and humiliating than we currently suffer. “Every passenger flying into an American airport will now be subjected to an extra ‘pat-down’ body search and will have their hand luggage examined at terminal gates by airline staff just before they board,” The Sunday Times of London reported.
But brace yourself, travelers. That’s just the initial, reflexive response. Since Richard Reid attempted to blow up a plane over the Atlantic Ocean by lighting an explosive in his shoe, we’ve had to remove our shoes and belts before boarding a plane or entering a federal building. In the future, you should expect to have to remove your pants, too. So please be mindful of this, and make everyone’s progress through security as quick and efficient as possible by remembering to wear flight-appropriate clothing: a T-shirt and sweatpants, or perhaps even a surgical gown, if you’re comfortable with that.
Charles Hurt of the New York Post had this reflection on our absurd airport security situation:Adding insult to this very scary injury is to think of the thousands of honest Americans who boarded airplanes during the holidays and endured so much more intrusive security than Abdulmutallab.
But as Jennifer Rubin at Commentary pointed out, that would require the political indecency of explicitly identifying particular “profiles” of who the bad people are. It is only the frantic political left, however, that considers applying such profiles indecent, and even atrocious. But they are shrill and extremely intimidating. The Bush administration feared giving any appearance of discrimination, and the Obama administration would allow almost anything to happen rather than make—much less declare—such judgments.
Of course, while we should be frank about the demographics of 21st-century terrorism, prudent airline security need not target everyone with a Muslim name for enhanced pre-boarding scrutiny. In addition to the coordinated and adequately staffed efforts of the CIA and FBI, a combination of new screening technologies with the latest insights in behavioral assessments can allow a much freer concourse of ordinary travelers at airports.
In our efforts to address the domestic terror threat, our problem is that we are hobbled by unjustified political sensitivities growing out of a morally aggressive political ideology that denies reality, and therefore does not alleviate but instead causes human suffering.
And so while a TSA security officer was escorting my mother-in-law out of the security-check area, holding the terror-threat yogurt away from his body as though it might explode at any moment, and only once outside of the checkpoint area returning it to the passenger (as, no doubt, regulations require), Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, having been actively involved with radicals in London and Yemen, his name on an FBI watch list, carrying a U.S. visa but no passport, was setting himself on fire on a Northwest Airlines jet over Detroit in an attempt to blow it out of the sky.
D.C. Innes is an assistant professor of politics at The King’s College in New York City.
We can all feel safer knowing that every reasonable precaution is being taken to ensure our flight safety in a terror-free America.
In a separate, unrelated incident, a 23-year old Nigerian man named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to blow up a plane as it approached Detroit from Amsterdam using a pouch of chemicals sewn inside his underwear. Thankfully, despite his engineering degree from University College London, he only set himself aflame.
TSA immediately announced security measures even more personally invasive and humiliating than we currently suffer. “Every passenger flying into an American airport will now be subjected to an extra ‘pat-down’ body search and will have their hand luggage examined at terminal gates by airline staff just before they board,” The Sunday Times of London reported.
But brace yourself, travelers. That’s just the initial, reflexive response. Since Richard Reid attempted to blow up a plane over the Atlantic Ocean by lighting an explosive in his shoe, we’ve had to remove our shoes and belts before boarding a plane or entering a federal building. In the future, you should expect to have to remove your pants, too. So please be mindful of this, and make everyone’s progress through security as quick and efficient as possible by remembering to wear flight-appropriate clothing: a T-shirt and sweatpants, or perhaps even a surgical gown, if you’re comfortable with that.
Charles Hurt of the New York Post had this reflection on our absurd airport security situation:Adding insult to this very scary injury is to think of the thousands of honest Americans who boarded airplanes during the holidays and endured so much more intrusive security than Abdulmutallab.
Sure as the sun rose, grandmothers were groped. Mothers were jerked aside and forced to take a swig of their baby’s milk to ensure neither they nor their infant had terroristic motives in flying from Akron to Chicago.
But a sketchy Muslim from Nigeria who has been reported dangerous? Welcome aboard! And welcome to a country where only your dignity will be protected at all costs.
The absurdity, of course, is the notion that my sweet, retired, quintessentially New England in-laws would be contemplating blowing up the plane, whether by enhanced yogurt container or any other means. The Washington Post quotes Ken Dunlap, security director of the International Air Transport Association, who said what everyone is thinking: “We’ve spent eight years looking for little scissors and toenail clippers. . . . Perhaps the emphasis should be looking for bad people.”
But as Jennifer Rubin at Commentary pointed out, that would require the political indecency of explicitly identifying particular “profiles” of who the bad people are. It is only the frantic political left, however, that considers applying such profiles indecent, and even atrocious. But they are shrill and extremely intimidating. The Bush administration feared giving any appearance of discrimination, and the Obama administration would allow almost anything to happen rather than make—much less declare—such judgments.
Of course, while we should be frank about the demographics of 21st-century terrorism, prudent airline security need not target everyone with a Muslim name for enhanced pre-boarding scrutiny. In addition to the coordinated and adequately staffed efforts of the CIA and FBI, a combination of new screening technologies with the latest insights in behavioral assessments can allow a much freer concourse of ordinary travelers at airports.
In our efforts to address the domestic terror threat, our problem is that we are hobbled by unjustified political sensitivities growing out of a morally aggressive political ideology that denies reality, and therefore does not alleviate but instead causes human suffering.
And so while a TSA security officer was escorting my mother-in-law out of the security-check area, holding the terror-threat yogurt away from his body as though it might explode at any moment, and only once outside of the checkpoint area returning it to the passenger (as, no doubt, regulations require), Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, having been actively involved with radicals in London and Yemen, his name on an FBI watch list, carrying a U.S. visa but no passport, was setting himself on fire on a Northwest Airlines jet over Detroit in an attempt to blow it out of the sky.
D.C. Innes is an assistant professor of politics at The King’s College in New York City.
Site Logo WOODFORD GREEN: Suspected Delta plane bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab met anti-war campaigner Brian Haw during school trip to London
By Sam Adams
THIS picture shows the moment when anti-war campaigner Brian Haw came face-to-face with the student accused of trying to blow up an American passenger jet.
The Woodford Green-born father-of-seven was just two weeks into his protest against British sanctions (and laterly military action) against Iraq when he was visited at his base in Parliament Square by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab - then aged just 15 - and his classmates during a school trip to London in June 2001.
Abdulmutallab, now 23, was arrested after allegedly trying to blow up a Delta passenger aircraft over Detroit on Christmas Day.
According to reports in the US media, the Nigerian - who was a student at University College London - is believed to have packed his underwear with explosives which failed to properly detonate.
Mr Haw was shocked by news of Abdulmutallab's arrest, but said he could not remember meeting him.
He said: "I get so many people coming to see me here that I really can't remember him.
"It's tragic what he's been accused of doing - and let's just remember that he's not been found guilty of anything yet.
"They talk about youngsters being radicalised, but what are we doing dropping hell fire on people in places like Afghanistan.
"We are radicalising people by dropping bombs and yet we dare to call ourselves Christian, civilised and decent.
"We need to take a look at what this country is doing."
Mr Haw has since widened his campaign to protest against the War on Terror in general - and marched from Parliament Square to Oxford in February last year to speak in favour of pacifism at the Oxford Union.
He marked his 3000th day of protest in Parliament Square in August.
THIS picture shows the moment when anti-war campaigner Brian Haw came face-to-face with the student accused of trying to blow up an American passenger jet.
The Woodford Green-born father-of-seven was just two weeks into his protest against British sanctions (and laterly military action) against Iraq when he was visited at his base in Parliament Square by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab - then aged just 15 - and his classmates during a school trip to London in June 2001.
Abdulmutallab, now 23, was arrested after allegedly trying to blow up a Delta passenger aircraft over Detroit on Christmas Day.
According to reports in the US media, the Nigerian - who was a student at University College London - is believed to have packed his underwear with explosives which failed to properly detonate.
Mr Haw was shocked by news of Abdulmutallab's arrest, but said he could not remember meeting him.
He said: "I get so many people coming to see me here that I really can't remember him.
"It's tragic what he's been accused of doing - and let's just remember that he's not been found guilty of anything yet.
"They talk about youngsters being radicalised, but what are we doing dropping hell fire on people in places like Afghanistan.
"We are radicalising people by dropping bombs and yet we dare to call ourselves Christian, civilised and decent.
"We need to take a look at what this country is doing."
Mr Haw has since widened his campaign to protest against the War on Terror in general - and marched from Parliament Square to Oxford in February last year to speak in favour of pacifism at the Oxford Union.
He marked his 3000th day of protest in Parliament Square in August.
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