On December 25, 2009 passengers on Northwest flight #253 headed for Detroit, got a lot more than they bargained for. Little did those on board know how two countries failed to keep them safe from terrorists.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23 year old from Nigeria, was on board a plane he had no right to be on. He was allowed to board a plane with explosives even after he was on two “watch lists.” How could such a thing happen? Where were all the security checks? Eight years after 9/11 those on board flight 253 were no safer than those aboard the four flights of 9/11. They were however luckier that this was a lone terrorist who did not plan his attack as well as the 9/11 hijackers did. Many of the mistakes that allowed the 9/11 hijackers to commit mass murde were made again in the case Abdulmutallab.
Abdulmutallab’s name was known to Federal authorities, they had an open file on him. The file was opened when his own father went to the US Embassy in Nigeria warning of his son’s radical behavior. That Embassy notified the FBI. He was then put on a known or suspected international terrorist list. Last month his name was inserted in the “Terrorist Identies Datamart Environment," or “Tide.” About 550,000 individuals are in that data base and about 400,000 in a subset called Terrorist Screening database “T.S.D.B.” Still he was not put on a “No Fly list.” If these are watch lists, who exactly is doing the watching, and what are they watching for? No one and nothing is my guess.
British Home Secretary Alan Johnson said that in May of 2008 the British government refused to re-issue a student visa for Abdulmutallab because the academic reason he gave was bogus. The rejection was part of an investigation by British authorities’ crackdown on “bogus colleges.” Because of this, Mr. Abdulmutallab was put on an official watch list to prevent him from re-entering Britain. This procedure that would normally involve American authorities being informed of the action Britain had taken, but Mr. Johnson was vague whether authorities in US had been officially informed.
The British government wouldn’t give Abdulmutallab a student visa, but in June of 2008 the US Embassy in London gives him a multiyear, multi entry tourist visa to US for two years; that visa is still good. Now, here’s the real kicker. Mr. Johnson said “If you are on a watch list then you cannot come into THIS country, but if you are in transit to ANOTHER country then you can come through, but you can’t come into THIS country. Okay the British will allow terrorists on their way to another country, go through Britain, but won’t allow them to stay in Britain. Wow!!!! Where is the efficacy of systems in place on both sides of the Atlantic guarding against terrorists planning attacks on airlines? Nowhere to be found, is my guess.
1. It seems to me that nothing has been learned by our government since 9/11. We continue to make the same stupid mistakes. The warning by Abdulmutallab’s father was not taken seriously, like the warnings about hijacking planes before 9/11 were not taken seriously.
2. We continue to give out visas without serious background checks on the individuals applying for the visa. The 19 hijackers were given visas with fraudulent information on their applications.
3. We place people on watch lists, but do nothing more once the name is added.
4. We don’t want to call terrorists, terrorists. We’re afraid to say Islamic terrorist.
Mr. Obama said that we will pursue plane bomb plotters. “We will not rest until all those behind the alleged plot to bomb a US plane are brought to justice.” My question to Mr. Obama is, will it be the same justice the 9/11 plotters are getting? Obama's sort of "justice" won't stop future terrorists from attacking this country.
Janet Napolitano first said that the aviation security system worked even though Abdulmutallab was allowed to board the flight. Our system did not work that day. Now she changes her mind and says that the system failed. I’m sure she thinks this was just another “man- made disaster” attempt and not a terrorist trying to kill innocent people.
Neither the President nor the head of Homeland Security are taking this new event seriously. Obama believes he is a lone extremist and not part of a larger picture. They believe that this is an act of a common criminal, not an Islamic terrorist. You can’t fight and win a war against terrorists if you don’t believe there are terrorists. We didn’t heed the signs before 9/11 and now we are repeating history. Beware America the next 9/11 is coming soon.
For more on the terrorist Abdumutallab see:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8432180.stm
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/dec/27/alleged-terrorist-known-not-thought-be-threat/
Regards,
Joani
