Barack Obama slams 'unacceptable' failure by agencies to foil airline bomber

Published on Wednesday 6 January 2010 09:03

PRESIDENT Barack Obama last night delivered a blistering attack on his own US intelligence agencies for failing to intercept the Detroit airline bomber on Christmas Day.

President Obama said: 'We will do better. And we will do it quickly'

President Obama said the government had enough information to foil the attempted bombing, but intelligence agencies "failed to connect those dots" and left nearly 300 passengers and crew in peril.

The president called the response unacceptable, and added: "I will not tolerate it."

The accused attacker, 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has claimed ties to al-Qaeda. Witnesses said he ignited an explosive mixture, but it failed to do serious damage to the Northwest airliner or its passengers, and he was subdued by other passengers and crew members on the Detroit-bound flight.

Mr Obama, speaking after meeting his Cabinet and national security team, said: "We have to do better, and we will do better. And we will do it quickly."

But while he expressed clear displeasure with the US failure to prevent the suspect from boarding a US-bound flight, Mr Obama did not announce any firings or job reassignments.

Meanwhile, travellers using UK airports could be searched according to their race, age and gender, in a major ramping-up of security following the attempted Detroit plane bombing.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson indicated he was considering controversial passenger profiling techniques as he announced that all UK airports had to have "explosion trace detection equipment" by the end of the year.

He said the new technology would be one of a range of security measures to be introduced. The equipment consists of a cloth swab on the end of an electronic wand that is used to check travellers and their luggage before it is inserted into a machine that can detect traces of explosives.

The prospect of people's ethnic backgrounds being taken into account was raised when Mr Johnson disclosed he was looking at "additional targeted profiling".

The Home Secretary said: "We are examining carefully whether additional targeted passenger profiling might help to enhance airport security.

"We will be considering all the issues involved, mindful of civil liberties concerns, aware that identity-based profiling has its limitations, but conscious of our overriding obligations to protect people's life and liberty."

But Shami Chakrabarti, director of civil rights group Liberty, said ethnic profiling would be "dangerous, self-defeating and downright irresponsible". She added: "Has no-one noticed the terrorists' ability to capitalise on discrimination or the recruits from a range of different backgrounds? Whether on the street or at the terminal, suspicious behaviour is a sensible basis for search by policing professionals. Race or religion is not."

Mr Johnson addressed MPs as the Commons sat for the first time since the Christmas Day bombing attempt.

The Home Secretary said a code of practice would be drawn up for the use of body scanners, which will be introduced at Heathrow first and then installed in other airports.

He also announced an urgent review of the "robustness" of the UK Border Agency's watch list.

On Monday, Downing Street revealed intelligence on Abdulmutallab had been passed to the US authorities before the Detroit incident. That revelation prompted suggestions of a rift between Gordon Brown and the White House. Yesterday, a Downing Street spokesman insisted relations with the US were "excellent".