Obama Gets First Report on Detroit Terror Attempt

Prez gets answers to how Abdulmutallab boarded plane
By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 31, 2009 6:55 AM CST
Obama Gets First Report on Detroit Terror Attempt
FILE - In this Dec. 28, 2009 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks to the media about the recent air travel incident at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

As a first step in his effort to overhaul intelligence practices, President Obama will today receive a preliminary report on how exactly the Detroit bombing suspect managed to board a US-bound plane, along with recommendations on how to prevent a sequel. The reams of intelligence data that were combed through for the report include conversations between Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and an al-Qaeda member that may have referred to the Detroit attack, AP reports.

The report, delivered to the president by homeland security and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan, is a first summary of the nation's efforts to track more than half a million potential terrorists. Administration officials say the existing counterterrorism system not only is deeply flawed but also wasn't followed in the Christmas Day terror attempt; the White House expects a more thorough investigation of the incident will take weeks to complete.
(More Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab stories.)

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