Remember the adage at the end of the old G.I. Joe cartoons that "knowing is half the battle?" Somewhere in the remaining half is "keep the guy with the bomb off the plane." "Official: U.S. Knew for 2 Years Suspect Could Have Terror Ties," from FoxNews, December 26:
An official briefed on the foiled attack on a Detroit airliner says the U.S. has known for at least two years that the suspect could have terrorist ties.
The official said that the suspect, Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, has been on a list that includes people with known or suspected contact or ties to a terrorist or terrorist organization.
The intelligence database that Mutallab is part of is described as containing people who have "loose ties or links to extremists," Fox News has learned. Any person in this database is someone who as of yet rises to threat level of no-fly lists or other more serious screenings.
Multiple law enforcement officials identified Mutallab as a Nigerian national who was reportedly an engineering student at London's University College.
On Saturday, police in the U.K. were searching a number of locations in connection to the suspect, while authorities met with a Nigerian banker that may be the father of the suspect.
Former bank official Alhaji Umaru Mutallab says he traveled from his home in the Nigeria's Muslim-dominated north to meet officials in Abuja, the capital. The elder Mutallab says his son left London to travel, though he did not know where to....
This is a great example of how both a democratic and republican administration overlooked a major threat. You'd think after 9/11 we would be on full guard, but we seem to have this nature as Americans to become complacent.
It is Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab's right to murder non-Muslims in the peaceful way of the prophet of Islam. PBUH.
We had better get used to this. Soon we will have our Beslan, soon we will have our Mumbai. Muslims believe that they can commit acts of terror in order to establish their caliphate. They will always have a reason to murder those whom resist, we'll have Islam and terror in our society, or we will not have Islam. Not too many gray areas, sadly.
What a horrible indictment of the U.S. Security Services and Government.
Can we attribute this to PC fear of 'racism' or does it go deeper, possibly to the fact that we have already been taken over in the very positions that should provide these safeguards?
the fact that
1. he is already on a watch list
2. he travels with only carry on luggage on major international flights.
should have been enough for a higher level of search than mainstream.
Add to that:
3. he has recently been to yemen.
with all the data mining capability that the US has, these three facts should clinch it to not let this guy on a US-bound US plane without a strip search, X-ray, and a 3 hour interview as to the purpose of his travels.
There's an interview a few hours after the attack with a passenger from flight 253. In the background are alot of hajib wearing women in black, and seemingly not much backlash going on.
http://www.blinkx.com/watch-video/us-plane-bomb-bid-elias-fawaz-on-air-terror/KBHlddU0q4tR1jQGW6h1JQ
It might be time rev up the engine, bleach the tires, and send Napolitano under the bus.
smithers,
I am surprised that you are surprised. After all, it's a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit :)
There inly s so much of the problem. This was much the same case with Major Nidal Hasan, the warnings where there and yet no one was willing to come forward and confront this growing threat. Truth be told there are no doubt many others on the watch list and yet they are roaming freely simply because they have not committed any known offense.
Another words we are clearly not safe from being attacked and only when we are attacked are these guys nabbed --but of course by then it is to late and many may have died.
Pre-emption should be necessary and strongly considered on these kind of threats short of sending everyone off to a new Manzinar in the high desert. Unfortunately the authorities will not act until they have solid evidence against these terrorists.
It appears quite obvious that Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab was not under surveillance.
Feel safe? Protected? Cared for? Listened to? Hello???
They want the submision of the whole western society, there is no discussion or diplomacy possible. There should be no consideration, no PC talk, no negociation, they just want you dead, so act appropriately.
Will someone recall me exactly who's quote this was "A muslim will either throw himself at your feet and kiss them or plant a knife in your back"?
Terrorist of this (islamic) kind are not of the common sort. Normally hijackers want money and/or a plane to another destination, or anything that can be (disgustably) discussed about. But islamic terrorists just want to kill you, and there is no diplomacy possible. They just want to kill, so any sane reaction is to be ready to kill first, that is the only way to survive this kind of threath, no PC talking and bla bla bla will rescue us from this, just eliminate and be glad afterwards.
It reminds me of the old Ford Pinto scandal decades ago. Ford Motor Company calculated that the legal actions arising from their use of defective fuel tanks(potentially combustable)would be less costly than repairing the defect. In short, a certain number of customers being incinerated in their cars after an impact was acceptable to this corporation. You are probably seeing the same mindset in this situation, as well as in the Major Hassan case.
The terrorist list should be -One strike and you're out..Of the country..For good..Bye Bye,go blow up people OUTSIDE of the U.S.A. No P.C. crap should be tolerated when it comes to our safety and the reality of the situation.All evidences should be considered.This war is also a mental war and they are quite well at manipulating our public and our government to their advantage.
There is good news in all of this. First, we see both here and in the Fort Hood incident that our intelligence community has been able to identify these persons before they commit JiHad. That's good. Secondly, the inaction of our government proves that the free American is only safe when he/she protects him/herself. That's what America is all about, individual self initiative. Let's keep the self initiative going and work to use what we know about these people proactively. In short, "round them up and move 'em out".
One has to wonder how much collateral damage is acceptable to Obama before he changes his tone and tactics. Why are people still trying to attack us with the mesiah in power anyway?
Yes, knowing IS indeed half the battle, including knowing that it's not okay to let COBRA set up shop in your own backyard.
Revolting.
The authorities are aware of many more like this guy. and they are not doing anything , They are just good to watch or to count the bodies.
It is a shame that it is always innocent people who are going to pay the price for the corrupt or ignorant.
The authorities are aware of many more like this guy. and they are not doing anything , They are just good to watch or to count the bodies.
It is a shame that it is always innocent people who are going to pay the price for the corrupt or ignorant
The good news is for the first time in a long time I heard the mainstream media use the word "terrorist" when describing the wuold be plane bomber. Did anyone hear this word used in the description of the Fort Hood mass murderer? No,he was described as an "extremeist", "lonely" etc.
Its high time we call terrorist a terrorist and identify a Jihadist for what he or she is. One more thing, mass murder should NEVER be described as an incident.
The PC mindset is turning our world into one big death camp.
Kudos to ethoman
You are a hundred percent correct. But sadly I fear no matter how many lives are lost our Beslan or Mumbai will not be enough... The 911 murders should have cemented into the American psyche an almost pathological vigilance. Instead, we have the media apologizing for the killer before the victims bodies are cold.
If this Nigerian fellow was on a terrorist watch list and was refused admittance into the UK, then why in the hell wasn't he more thoroughly vetted? Common sense would say that security wouldn't put a terrorist on an airplane... but if the government has evidence that he is indeed a terrorist and for whatever reason they are still going to let him on the plane then shouldn't he be strip searched as well as every piece of clothing and luggage he was carrying?
The PC idiots who orchestrated this policy and the imbeciles who looked at this watch list and still let him fly should be brought up on charges for aiding and abetting.