Posted on 01/03/2010 6:23:59 AM PST by kristinn
U.S. intelligence agencies did not miss a "smoking gun" that could have prevented an alleged attempt to blow up a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day, President Barack Obama's top counterterrorism adviser said Sunday.
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 is no smoking gun," Brennan said. "There was no single piece of intelligence that said, 'this guy is going to get on a plane.'"
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 U.S. actions but because the would-be attacker was unable to ignite an explosive device. The president has summoned homeland security officials to meet with him in the White House Situation Room on Tuesday.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab apparently assembled an explosive device, including 80 grams of Pentrite, or PETN, in the aircraft toilet of a Detroit-bound Northwest flight, then planned to detonate it with a syringe of chemicals. Passengers intervened, and the plan failed.
The 23-year-old suspect's name was known to intelligence officials, and his father had passed along his concern about the son's increasing radicalization.
"We had bits and pieces of information," Brennan said on CNN's "State of the Union." The father's warning, he said, was "one set of data."
But Brennan said other information available didn't provide the details needed to map it and attach it to Abdulmutallab.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
It’s just stupid. It’s a misuse of the phrase. Smoking Gun refers to a murder when the perp isn’t immediately apparent, not an attempted murder put down by the good yeomen of the Amurrickin Pipple.
It certainly appears to be so.
“There was no single piece of intelligence that said, ‘this guy is going to get on a plane.’”
Other then, perhaps, applying for a visa in England and being denied, and didn’t he then get a US visa?
Seems our crew can’t even get hindsight correct, and that’s tough because hindsight is the only exact science.
But ALLOWING American cities to be nuked is perfectly acceptable.
We can’t deny this administration has not been good at revisionist history.
We have never been and are not a Christian Nation.
The US has caused only harm in the world, never helping other peoples and nations.
Democrats are the party of equal rights, civil rights, voter rights and freedom.
Democrats were the ones warning about terrorism while Republicans fiddled.
etc etc etc.
The past isn’t science for this group, science fiction maybe.
Yes, his MO would predict that he’ll toss a few bodies under the bus come about August, and claim that anything wrong with his first two years was their fault, and to please go ahead and pull that lever straight demorat.
Whoo... that is one hot dog.
Of course this happened in 2003, but from what I'm reading here procedures have not changed that much. Same day purchase using cash, with or without luggage, still seems to send up a red flag. And I had not reported them three times to authorities as being extremists!
I saw this interview, and he was a complete weasel, refusing to answer any questions directly, and using mealy-mouthed language that would make Harry Reid blush. Made me angry to listen to him on - where else - CNN!
I think you only get a break if you’re a verified Muslim.
OMG. The bomb was the smoking gun. There were at least 4 red flags that went up between October and Christmas.
==> “Is that something like a flaming a$$hole?” <==
No, that was a secondary indication of malicious intent.
LOL! HNY, Bry!
==> “...and didnt he then get a US visa?” <==
Not exactly - he already HAD a US visa, but nobody bothered to check. Hilary Clinton’s fault!
Clearly! *shaking head*
Sometime ya just gotta tell it like it is... :-)
Happy New Years Chick!!
Anything else would be profiling, don't you know.
What an EFFING Cover-up!
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