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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Obama rues 'intelligence failure' | Obama rues 'intelligence failure' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| President Barack Obama says the US failed to "connect and understand" intelligence it had prior to the failed Christmas Day airline bomb attack. | |
| In a national address, Mr Obama said he was ordering an immediate strengthening of "watch lists" for terror suspects. | In a national address, Mr Obama said he was ordering an immediate strengthening of "watch lists" for terror suspects. |
| He said it was not a failure of a single individual, but rather a "systemic failure" across agencies. | He said it was not a failure of a single individual, but rather a "systemic failure" across agencies. |
| Nigerian suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had tried to detonate explosives on a flight to Detroit. | Nigerian suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had tried to detonate explosives on a flight to Detroit. |
| President Obama said the US government had the relevant information to prevent an attack "scattered around the system". | President Obama said the US government had the relevant information to prevent an attack "scattered around the system". |
| But he said the failure to follow up on the information, coupled with a failure of analysis, had left the US exposed. | But he said the failure to follow up on the information, coupled with a failure of analysis, had left the US exposed. |
| US PLANE 'PLOT' REPORTS Summary of White House security review [400 KB] President's directive on corrective actions [200 KB] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here | |
| He said he was ordering an immediate strengthening of the terrorist watch list, information on security risks would be distributed more widely, and analysis of that information would be improved. | He said he was ordering an immediate strengthening of the terrorist watch list, information on security risks would be distributed more widely, and analysis of that information would be improved. |
| "At this stage in the review process it appears that this incident was the fault a single individual or organisation but but rather a systemic failure across organisations and agencies," he said. | |
| "I am less interested in passing out blame than I am in learning from it and correcting these mistakes to make us safer. For ultimately the buck stops with me. | |
| "As president I have a solemn responsibility to protect out nation and our people and when the system fails it is my responsibility," he added. | |
| Mr Abdulmutallab's name was on a US database of about 550,000 suspected terrorists. | |
| However, it was not on a list that would have subjected him to additional security screening or kept him from boarding the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. |