Air intelligence lapses admitted
Source: Agencies |
January 4, 2010, Monday
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UNITED States intelligence agencies did not miss a "smoking gun" that could have prevented an alleged attempt to blow up an airliner on Christmas Day, American President Barack Obama's top counterterrorism adviser said yesterday.
White House aide John Brennan cited "lapses" and errors in the sharing of intelligence and clues about the Nigerian man accused in the foiled attempt.
"There was no single piece of intelligence that said, 'this guy is going to get on a plane'," he said.
Brennan is leading a White House review of the incident. Obama has said there was a systemic failure to prevent the attack, which he said was instigated by an affiliate in Yemen of the al-Qaida terrorist network.
Obama ordered a thorough look at the shortcomings that permitted the plot, which failed not because of US actions but because the would-be attacker was unable to ignite an explosive device.
He has summoned homeland security officials to meet him in the White House Situation Room tomorrow.
Brennan cited "a number of streams of information" - the 23-year-old suspect's name was known to intelligence officials, his father had passed along his concern about the son's increasing radicalization - and "little snippets" from intelligence channels. "But there was nothing that brought it all together," he said.
"In this one instance, the system didn't work. There were some human errors. There were some lapses. We need to strengthen it. But day in and day out,the successes are there."
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab apparently assembled an explosive device in the aircraft toilet of a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight, then planned to detonate it with chemicals. Passengers intervened, and the plan failed.
"What we need to do as an intelligence community, as a government, is be able to bring those disparate bits and pieces of information together so we prevent Mr Abdulmutallab from getting on the plane," Brennan said.
He stood by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, acknowledging she had "taken some hits" for saying the airline security system worked. It didn't, and she clarified her remarks, Brennan said.
White House aide John Brennan cited "lapses" and errors in the sharing of intelligence and clues about the Nigerian man accused in the foiled attempt.
"There was no single piece of intelligence that said, 'this guy is going to get on a plane'," he said.
Brennan is leading a White House review of the incident. Obama has said there was a systemic failure to prevent the attack, which he said was instigated by an affiliate in Yemen of the al-Qaida terrorist network.
Obama ordered a thorough look at the shortcomings that permitted the plot, which failed not because of US actions but because the would-be attacker was unable to ignite an explosive device.
He has summoned homeland security officials to meet him in the White House Situation Room tomorrow.
Brennan cited "a number of streams of information" - the 23-year-old suspect's name was known to intelligence officials, his father had passed along his concern about the son's increasing radicalization - and "little snippets" from intelligence channels. "But there was nothing that brought it all together," he said.
"In this one instance, the system didn't work. There were some human errors. There were some lapses. We need to strengthen it. But day in and day out,the successes are there."
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab apparently assembled an explosive device in the aircraft toilet of a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight, then planned to detonate it with chemicals. Passengers intervened, and the plan failed.
"What we need to do as an intelligence community, as a government, is be able to bring those disparate bits and pieces of information together so we prevent Mr Abdulmutallab from getting on the plane," Brennan said.
He stood by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, acknowledging she had "taken some hits" for saying the airline security system worked. It didn't, and she clarified her remarks, Brennan said.
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